


Easier to Run

by ASchwartz33



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Fingering, Blowjobs, Child Abuse, Consensual smut in later chapters, Creepy Shimura Danzou, Danzou is a piece of shit, Eventual KakaYama but it takes forever, Evil Shimura Danzou, First Time, Friendship, Gay Male Character, Kagami is a good dad too, Little bit of smut, M/M, Police officers for dads, Polyamory, Protective Hatake Kakashi, Public Blow Jobs, Sakumo is a good dad, Shisui doesn't know what he wants, Shisui is kind of a slut, Tenzou is shy, Underage Rape/Non-con, Yamato|Tenzou-centric, sexual identity confusion, very slow burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-09
Updated: 2020-03-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:00:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 16
Words: 54,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22187473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ASchwartz33/pseuds/ASchwartz33
Summary: Tenzo lives a miserable life, with an abusive guardian, and no friends... until he draws the attention of two teenagers from his school. What will he do when they find out his secret?A story of Tenzo's life being flipped upside down (for the better).High school AUSeriously don't read if you can't read about abuse or rape. Not kidding.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Uchiha Shisui, Hatake Kakashi/Uchiha Shisui/Yamato | Tenzou, Hatake Kakashi/Yamato | Tenzou, Uchiha Shisui/Yamato | Tenzou
Comments: 90
Kudos: 148





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This doesn't start out as a happy story. Some terrible things happen in these first few chapters. I have about 40k written for this story already, so I figured I'd better post it. 
> 
> Seriously. Heed the warnings. They exist for a reason.

Tenzo woke up Monday morning with a sigh. Another new school year, another new school. Today marked the start of his sophomore year, and he couldn't say he was looking forward to it. Though, if he  _ really  _ thought about it, he should be happy to get out of this dreadful house that he'd been literally trapped in all summer. The only time he had even  _ seen  _ Konoha was on the drive in, and the one trip Danzo took with him to show him how to get to school. 

He stood slowly, wincing at the soreness in his muscles. It was like this every Monday. 

Tenzo made it into the bathroom, brushing his teeth and trying to get his short brown hair in order for his first day. Chances are, he wouldn't talk with anyone, but he also didn't want to draw any unnecessary attention to himself.

With that finally done, he chanced a glance down at his chest. He winced at the large bruise dead center, but was happy to note that it wasn't high enough up that he would have to wear a turtleneck all week. However, the bruising right above his elbows and on his wrists meant that Tenzo  _ would  _ be wearing long sleeves. He sighed loudly. It was still hot at this time of year, and Tenzo knew for a fact that he was required to take a p.e. class. He would need to drink lots of water to keep from overheating. Again. 

After donning his best-looking long sleeved shirt, he finally made it downstairs for breakfast. He grabbed one of five pre-portioned bowls of rice from the fridge, and ate his bland meal quickly. Next, he pulled his already packaged lunch sack from the fridge. Danzo would  _ never  _ pay for school lunches, so Tenzo would suffer through his plain bologna sandwiches all week, and hope that the older man at least saw fit to reward him with a different type of meat next week. 

He left the large house, and thought about how lucky he was that Konoha was such a small place. Kiri had been much bigger, and his walk to school took him over half an hour. Here (assuming he was remembering the directions correctly) it would only take him 15 minutes. 

The high school was actually much bigger than he expected. The building was large and had two floors… he had expected something much smaller, similar to the schools in Suna. Once he  _ finally  _ found the office and retrieved his schedule and a basic set of directions, he went in search of his locker. 

Apparently, he had been too distracted, because he ran straight into the back of another kid. The guy was huge, had black hair and black eyes and looked down at him with his sharp teeth. It was a quick reminder about how much smaller he was than everyone else. He picked himself up quickly, muttering an apology as the man looked at him with disdain. "You better  _ watch it _ , new kid." He said viciously, shouldering his way past Tenzo and almost taking him down to the ground. The brunette sighed, and resumed the search for his locker.  _ So much for not drawing attention to yourself. _

Finally, after finding his locker, he sped down the hallway towards his first class. Of course, life  _ hated  _ Tenzo, so he ran straight into someone's chest and landed on his ass again. 

"Whoa! Are you okay?" A voice rang out. Tenzo tried not to wince when he was hauled back up to his feet by his wrist that as it turns out, was  _ very  _ sore. Tenzo stared up into more black hair and black eyes, but at least this one was smiling at him. 

"Sorry about that, kid. I wasn't watching where I was going." The guy apologized. Tenzo looked between him and his friend, a taller boy with shocking silver hair and a mask over the lower half of his face, and just took off towards his new class. Was he a coward? Yes. But he couldn't afford to have that many people angry with him on his first day. 

The day was uneventful. No one talked to him, and he didn't try to talk to them either. At 3, the final bell rang and he was able to walk home. He hurried through the sketchier part of town, finally finding a reason to be thankful for the shitty used clothing Danzo provided. At least he didn't  _ look  _ like he lived in the rich part of the city. Finally, he made it home, and waited patiently downstairs for the phone call that would happen at exactly 3:30 to prove that he had gone home as he was supposed to. 

After that, Tenzo went straight to bed. Mondays were always rough. He didn't get nearly the amount of sleep he needed on weekends, so he took it whenever he could. 

The rest of the week, Tenzo managed to stay off the radar… up until Friday during gym class. Tenzo had heard the random whispers all week about the new kid that always wore long sleeves in gym, but he ignored them. He still had managed not to talk to anyone, but still somehow got on the nerves of one of the bigger kids in the class. Zabuza, by all definitions, was a dick. He was huge, wearing cargo pants all the time, and happened to be the first guy Tenzo had ran into on his first day. 

He was in the locker room, waiting for a stall to open up so he could change out of his shorts without showing off any of his bruised skin or his old embarrassing underwear when Zabuza cornered him. The man had a couple friends with him. One, Tenzo recognized as Hidan from his english class, and the other was Kakuzu from his Algebra 2 class. 

"Hey new kid, why don't you get a close up view of the wall?" Zabuza yelled before shoving him backwards against the lockers. He's fairly certain he just hit his head on one of the combination locks, but he tried to ignore it. The guy wasn't the most creative bully Tenzo had come across… not that he would say anything because he was  _ very  _ aware of the fact that he was small enough to be squeezed into a locker. Zabuza loomed over him, and Tenzo tried to hide the fact that his breathing was escalating and his face was starting to sweat. 

"What's a  _ shrimp  _ like you doing in this class anyway? Aren't you like 12?" Hidan spoke loudly, and Tenzo realized that everyone else had already left the room, except for whoever happened to be hiding out in the bathroom stall. He didn't answer, knowing that any answer he gave wouldn't help his situation any. Zabuza grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled his arm back to punch him in the face. Tenzo panicked. If he had a black eye when Danzo came home for the weekend… he'd be in  _ so much trouble.  _

"Zabuza." A warning voice spoke seriously, and Tenzo felt that maybe his luck had finally picked up when the brute paused. The stall door had opened, and the silver haired guy with the face mask was standing there holding an orange book. His gray eyes were locked on to Zabuza's black ones. 

"Mind your own business,  _ Hatake." _ Hidan growled out. 

"Maa, I can't exactly let you go around beating up kids. Look at him. He's half your size. That's hardly fair." The boy drawled. The guy had balls. There were three of them, and he was by himself. Zabuza's group came to the same conclusion, apparently. 

"There's only one of you, Kakashi. There are  _ three _ of us. What exactly do  _ you _ intend to do about it?" Hidan shouted, the excitement in his voice unnerving. 

"Who says it's just  _ him _ ?" A voice rang out from the other side. Tenzo turned quickly, only to see the  _ other  _ boy he had ran into. 

"You want some of this too, Shisui?" Zabuza called out, tightening his grip on Tenzo's shirt. 

"It'd be mighty embarrassing for you to get your ass kicked by us  _ again _ , wouldn't it?" The other boy, Shisui, spoke smoothly. He had an extremely confident air around him, and Tenzo almost believed he might be spared from his first asskicking of the year. 

Zabuza huffed, letting him go but shoving him back against the lockers again for good measure. "I have better things to do." He muttered, shoving his way past Shisui and out the door. 

Tenzo ran into the now vacant stall, ready to hide and change and hope that the other two boys were gone when he was done. He hated being small, and he hated being pushed around. It couldn't be helped. 

Tenzo left the stall to find that both guys were still standing around, apparently waiting for him. 

"Are you okay?" Shisui asked quietly. Tenzo stared at them for a moment before nodding slowly. 

"Looks like you hit your head. You should go see the nurse." Shisui spoke again. Tenzo's breath caught. The one thing he  _ did  _ know was that he  _ wasn't _ allowed to see the nurse. 

He shook his head violently, grabbed his books and tried to make a break for it. Kakashi stepped in front of him effortlessly. 

"What's your name?" He asked, tilting his head curiously. 

Tenzo looked up at him, wondering if he should even bother introducing himself. He didn't make friends. It was a fact of life. Once people saw how shy and quiet he was, they didn't bother. He wasn't a good conversationalist, and he couldn't spend time with people outside of school. He had nothing to offer really, so he wasn't really sure why he bothered telling the guy his name after staring for two whole minutes silently. "Tenzo." 

"Tenzo? Nice to meet you. I'm Shisui." The other boy said from the side, holding out a hand for Tenzo to shake. The brunette very clearly hesitated before shaking his hand. He needed to stop acting like a scared dog. He knew that. He scolded himself mentally for his lack of tact. When Kakashi held his hand out and introduced himself, Tenzo did much better, then excused himself to his next class quickly. 

He made it through the rest of the day without being bothered, making it home and waiting for his 3:30 phone call. 

Danzo would be home some time after 6. He would sit down at the table, and Tenzo would sit across from him. During the summer, dinner was silent. During the school year, Danzo asked him the same generic line of questioning. 

"Have you done your studying?"

"Is your school work completed?" 

"Are you maintaining your grades?" 

The answer was always 'Yes, Sir'. It had to be. Tenzo was  _ well  _ familiar with what would happen if he said no. Tenzo would have his breakfasts and dinners taken away. He was  _ also  _ familiar with the fact that Danzo was a powerful man that contacted his teachers regularly, and knew when he was lying.

So now he sat, giving his practiced answers while eating his rice. Danzo had felt generous today, giving Tenzo a very small portion of the fancy chicken dinner he had made for himself. The man's generosity didn't usually last long, so Tenzo had made sure to eat the chicken first before it could be taken away. 

After dinner, Tenzo would be sent up to his room to wait. 

The waiting was the worst part. 

Tenzo would sit restlessly, sometimes for hours, and sometimes for mere minutes waiting for Danzo. Sometimes, Tenzo would get lucky, and Danzo would come up early, smack the boy around for a bit, and retreat back to his office. The young boy knew that the earlier he showed up, the better. It all depended on the older man's mood. The chicken at dinner had given him high hopes… a mistake on his part. He should have known better. 

Tenzo's heart was pounding viciously in his chest. Tears stung at his eyes the longer he waited. This was long past the time frame for a simple beating, and he knew it. He lay on his bed in the dark, his room only illuminated by the light in the hallway that drifted in through his barely-open door. He had to leave his door cracked open on the weekend, or he would be punished. 

It was almost 3 a.m. when Tenzo finally heard his door creaking open. Danzo smelled strongly of whiskey and cigars, and immediately Tenzo's chest tightened. Danzo wasn't kind when he had been drinking. Never. Under different circumstances, Danzo was at least kind enough to think of Tenzo as a human being, someone who could be seriously injured by certain actions. Tonight, Tenzo was preparing himself for the worst. 

Danzo dropped his bodyweight on Tenzo unexpectedly, forcing the small boy's air out in a loud whoosh. Danzo raised himself up on his arms, looking over the boy appraisingly, and grunting his approval. Tenzo knew the rules well by now. He knew that he was supposed to wait in bed, no blanket, and in his underwear. 

Knowing the rules didn't make it any easier once Danzo had his calloused hands sliding his ratty old boxers down his legs. 

Tenzo's legs were lifted and a finger was forcefully inserted into his ass. He cried out sharply, knowing that with Danzo drunk, he was lucky to be receiving  _ any  _ form of stretching at all. If the man was sober, he would occasionally bring up a bottle of lube with him. Tears rolled down his face and he attempted to even out his breathing, to will his body to relax through the pain… because it would soon get  _ much  _ worse. 

Danzo managed to wait through two fingers worth of stretching, a rarity when he was in this condition, before flipping Tenzo onto his face and taking what belonged to him. Tenzo knew better than to fight it, knew better than to try to move away, even when he felt the other man prodding his entrance with something much bigger. Sometimes, he couldn't help the flinching when he was touched, but the bruises that still littered his thin wrists from  _ last  _ weekend reminded him of what became of such a motion. It wouldn't matter. Danzo would get what he was owed... one way or another. He held steady, his face pressed into his pillow as tears soaked into the scratchy material. Danzo's hands dug into his hips, and he knew that it was time.

It burned. No matter how many times it had happened, or how long Danzo decided to be "kind" and stretch him for, it still felt like he was on fire and ripping in half from the inside. It still felt like Danzo was much too big, and Tenzo was still way too small for this to work. But he knew better. After all, he had been living with Danzo for five years. Five years ago, he was much smaller. Sure,  _ this particular  _ punishment wasn't as common as it was now, now that he was older and apparently more appealing to the older man in this way. But it still happened, way back when Tenzo didn't understand any of it, didn't understand why he owed Danzo for the food, shelter, and supplies that he provided. Danzo had taught him that lesson quickly. If he could make it work  _ back then _ , he needed to find a way to make it work now. 

That was a difficult task, especially when he was left in a messy pile on his bed afterwards, retrieving the red towel he kept in one of the drawers underneath it. There was a good chance he was sitting in a puddle of his own blood… Tenzo had decided long ago that sometimes he just  _ didn't want to know.  _ After a while, Danzo was at least thoughtful enough to buy Tenzo red sheets, as opposed to replacing the red-stained white ones constantly. (Turns out having his dried blood all over the sheets bothered the older man. Who knew?) 

Tenzo just had to wait out the weekend and hope that whatever mixture was leaking down his leg wouldn't leave white stains either. He mopped up what he could of the mess, all while following the rules and leaving the light turned off. 

Tenzo laid back down, knowing his exhausted and pained body wouldn't fall asleep until after he spent a good hour crying. It was already four a.m., so he wouldn't get to sleep until at least 5. At 7, his alarm would sound and he would have to wake up and eat breakfast with Danzo. 

Tenzo cried for an hour and a half before he was able to fall asleep. 

~

7 a.m. came much too early, and Tenzo could do nothing but groan as he reached over to shut off his alarm. He had half an hour to be ready and at the table. 

Tenzo stood slowly, his legs shaking as he tried to get used to the pain his body was emanating. He sighed, knowing that at least Danzo would be leaving two pain pills next to his plate of rice once he got down there. 

Tenzo cleaned himself up some more and put on some fresh clothes before heading down to the kitchen table. He ate his rice quickly, accepted his pain pills, and waited silently for Danzo to finish his eggs and potatoes so he could wash the dishes. When the older man was done eating, he stood, walking over towards Tenzo and giving him one small pat on the head. 

That was it. That was all the thanks he ever got. With that pat on the head, Danzo was saying  _ good boy _ to the kid that might as well have been his pet. Tenzo washed the dishes in silence before retreating back up to his room to read. Because that's exactly what he was. A good boy. He didn't rebel, didn't try to bite the hand that fed him. He knew better. Knew it wouldn't end well. 

The rest of the weekend went similarly. Tenzo would eat his meals with Danzo, then sit quietly in his room. There was a tv downstairs, but Tenzo wasn't allowed to use it unless Danzo wasn't home. Similarly, he also wasn't allowed to use the washing machine until the weekdays when Danzo didn't come home. He didn't really know what the man did for a living, but he was honestly thankful to be left alone all week long. 

Saturday and Sunday nights ended the same way, with Tenzo waiting anxiously in his room for Danzo to show up and claim him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting two chapters a day until I catch up to myself. Updates may be slow after I catch up but I'm still constantly working on this story.

Tenzo started his Monday routine once again with a sigh. This weekend had been rough.  _ Clearly _ , Danzo had been in a bad mood. Tenzo didn't have to look in the mirror to know he would be wearing turtlenecks all week. Saturday night had been a good old-fashioned beating… one that ended with Danzo choking him just a bit. 

This wasn't the first time Tenzo was going to school with bruising around his neck… though he really wished that he didn't have the bruising on his hips to accompany it.  _ Sunday  _ night had been another late visit, and Tenzo was definitely sore. 

The day was boring, just as all the others had been, and Tenzo was happy to say he didn't run into Zabuza all day. He walked home at a quickened pace, making his way through the shitty part of town with his eyes down. 

That was his mistake, apparently, as a pair of hands reached out of a bush and threw him to the ground. Tenzo landed awkwardly on his backpack and the wind was knocked out of him. He gasped loudly, but wasn't prepared to see that it was a grown man that had dragged him into the bush. He was tall, burly, and  _ very  _ dirty looking. He was the kind of guy people weren't surprised to see in the papers for dying under a bridge. The man pawed at his shirt and pants quickly, settling his weight over Tenzo in a way that absolutely terrified him.  _ This man meant to touch him.  _

Tenzo squealed a little bit, as much as his struggling lungs would allow, and the man quickly shoved a nasty hand over his mouth while the other touched him over his pants. Tenzo tried to calm himself, forcing himself to think. It's not like this was the first man to ever try to touch him. After all, this was a weekly occurrence for him at home. He was still panicking though, but managed to think rationally enough to aim a swift kick to the man's junk. 

The filthy man cried out, releasing Tenzo to grab his injured bits. The boy took his chance, scrambling to his feet and taking off in the direction of his house. He rounded the next corner and ran smack into someone's backpack. He went down again with a pained grunt, landing on his still-sensitive rear end. He looked up quickly only to realize that this would be the second time he had smashed into Shisui and Kakashi. They both stared at him as he stood back up quickly, close to hyperventilating as he could hear the man still yelling from where Tenzo had left him. He looked back quickly when the voice got closer, and something must have clicked in Kakashi's mind, because suddenly he was dragging them both into the brush. The grip on his arm was uncomfortable, and as soon as they were hidden he made sure to rip his arm away from the silver haired teen. 

They ducked down, keeping silent as the almost homeless-looking guy walked past with a limp. Any hope Tenzo had at pretending nothing happened was dashed as the man noisily pulled up his zipper and adjusted his pants. 

Tenzo could feel both of the bigger boys staring at him, and visually checking him over for injuries. "Are you okay?" Shisui whispered, seeing the large tear in the middle of his shirt. 

Tenzo didn't make eye-contact with them. Didn't even want to look in their direction. "I'm fine." He spoke strongly. "I need to go home." 

He hoped they hadn't wasted too much time, and that he could still make it home in time for his phone call. Somehow he didn't think Danzo would like the excuse that somebody literally tried to rape him in the street. 

They all walked out of the bushes slowly, sure that the man was long gone. Kakashi turned to look at him again. "Come on. We'll walk you home." 

"I'm fine. I don't need a babysitter." Tenzo said defiantly. He knew they were just trying to be nice, but he didn't need their pity. He had lived through much worse than that. 

"We weren't asking." Shisui said, an edge to his voice that Tenzo hadn't heard before. He decided not to argue, and silently headed in the direction of his house. 

"This is me." He finally said when they were at his driveway. Both boys looked at the house with raised eyebrows. 

"Huh. We actually live just one street down." Kakashi commented. "See you tomorrow, Tenzo." 

"Bye, Tenzo!" Shisui called with a smile. Tenzo just nodded to them before rushing inside. He had made it in time, but barely. He was just glad that asshole had ripped his shirt in a spot that didn't have any bruises beneath it. He scolded himself for his stupidity and vowed to pay more attention to his surroundings. 

~

The next day was when things started to change. During his first period algebra 2 class, Shisui sat at the table next to him. Tenzo just watched him settle himself. He was confused, to say the least. 

"Good morning Tenzo!" Shisui spoke, much too chipper for this early in the morning. Tenzo simply nodded to him, thinking his silence would probably put the guy off. 

It didn't. Shisui still sat next to him, talking almost non-stop about random things like the weather, and the last test they took. He didn't seem to care that Tenzo never answered, but he appeared to understand that he  _ was  _ listening. It was…  _ different _ . People usually misunderstood his silence, assumed he was just a dick and wasn't listening. Shisui was weird that way, chattering away happily as Tenzo just sat silently. Shisui never brought up the incident from yesterday, and for that, Tenzo was thankful. He was already going to have to explain to Danzo why he had a giant hole in one of his shirts… he didn't really feel like explaining the situation to anyone else. They parted ways for second period, Shisui waving goodbye and Tenzo humoring him with a tiny wave of his own. Had he ever waved to anyone before? He couldn't remember. 

Second period english was just as strange. Shisui wasn't in this class, but apparently Kakashi was. He sat down next to Tenzo. "Yo, Tenzo." After that, he was mostly quiet, only commenting on a few english related things. The silence wasn't uncomfortable, though, and Tenzo almost enjoyed Kakashi's version of companionship. 

3rd period was p.e., and both of them stuck to him like glue, attracting a couple of their more…  _ excitable _ friends over. A tall boy in green jogging clothes ran up, yelling to Kakashi with  _ far  _ too much enthusiasm about a basketball shooting challenge. 

"That's Gai." Shisui explained with a smile. "He insists that Kakashi is his 'eternal rival', and challenges him to random stuff. He's a grade above us though." Tenzo nodded, finally accepting that he may not be getting rid of these two any time soon. Shisui and Tenzo were shooting hoops off to the side of the gym, vaguely keeping track of Kakashi and Gai's challenge. Another boy Tenzo didn't know walked up, black hair and black eyes, looking  _ awfully  _ similar to Shisui. 

"Hey cousin. Kakashi and Gai at it again?" The new boy asked. 

"Yeah." Shisui replied with a smile. 

"Who's the new kid?" The other boy asked, watching Tenzo with a frown. 

"Don't be rude, Obito. Just introduce yourself like a normal person." Shisui scolded him. Tenzo almost laughed, but the other boy turned to move towards him. This kid was a lot bigger than him, and something about him made Tenzo uncomfortable. 

"Hey. I'm Obito." The kid said a bit grumpily, holding out a hand towards him. Tenzo reached out slowly, and Obito crossed the distance quickly, grabbing his hand and yanking him closer. Tenzo yelped, a little confused at the slightly violent behavior of Shisui's cousin. 

"Obito. Don't be a jerk." Kakashi spoke, suddenly much closer, a basketball still under his arm. 

"Shut up,  _ Kakashi _ ." Obito said angrily, still holding Tenzo's hand hostage. He wrenched his hand out of the boy's grasp and glared at him. 

Obito didn't seem to take too kindly to that, squaring himself up. Hardly necessary, since he was almost twice Tenzo's size already. 

"Obito." Shisui said, actually sounding angry for once. "This is our  _ friend _ , Tenzo. And you'll leave him alone."

Obito huffed, giving Tenzo one last side-eye before walking away. 

Tenzo looked to Shisui, one eyebrow raised. 

Shisui shrugged. "Sorry about that. He's… one of my  _ less pleasant _ cousins." 

"Why is he such a jerk?" Tenzo asked, causing both boys to look at him in shock. He hadn't said anything to either of them since yesterday. 

Shisui shared a look with Kakashi, before turning back. "A story for another time, perhaps." Kakashi answered uncomfortably. Tenzo took the hint, and went back to shooting baskets. This was the only exercise he was allowed to have, and he didn't want to miss out on it. Even if he looked ridiculous wearing a turtleneck and gym shorts. 

Fourth period history was another quiet class with Kakashi. The teacher was speaking almost the entire time, so they didn't have many opportunities to talk anyway. Tenzo was a bit surprised when lunch rolled around. He sat at his usual table, far away from the lunch line and secluded by himself. People wouldn't sit with him. Ever. He was used to it. People in smaller schools were often wary of new kids. 

This time, however, Kakashi and Shisui sat with him. Kakashi had a sack lunch but Shisui ate what the school provided. Tenzo was a bit jealous. He pulled out his plain bologna sandwich (Danzo had  _ not  _ found it in his heart to get a new meat for the week) and started eating, all while watching Shisui eat fries and chicken nuggets. Kakashi unpacked his lunch of leftovers from what appeared to be a very nice chicken dinner. They both took turns looking at his sandwich, and he was almost embarrassed by how ridiculously plain and awful it was. They had seen his house. They knew the person he lived with wasn't poor. He was more aware than ever how ratty his clothes were and how pathetic his lunch was. 

Tenzo kept quiet, listening to Kakashi and Shisui chatting away about random things. They didn't  _ really  _ start talking to Tenzo until he was done eating. 

"So Tenzo, did you just move here or have you lived here all summer?" Shisui asked curiously. 

"All summer." Tenzo answered quietly. 

"I'm surprised we didn't see you around. We live pretty close by, after all." Kakashi mused. 

"I stayed inside." Tenzo answered, looking around the lunchroom instead of at them. 

"Why is that?" Shisui asked. Tenzo knew he couldn't answer that honestly. He couldn't tell them he wasn't  _ allowed _ to go anywhere, so he just shrugged. 

"So do you live with your parents? Or somebody else?" Shisui asked, changing the subject. 

"I live with a guardian." He answered vaguely, though he kinda figured he wouldn't be able to just leave it at that. 

"Oh? Like an adoption type deal?" Kakashi asked, and Tenzo nodded. 

"So who's your guardian? What are they like?" Shisui asked, and Tenzo was starting to get uncomfortable with all the attention. 

"His name's Danzo." Was all he said as he stared down at the table. Thankfully, lunch was over, and they couldn't continue interrogating him about his life. 

In fifth period science class, it was just Kakashi. For 6th period woodshop and 7th period health class, it was both. He didn't have a single class to himself. How had he not noticed them in all of his classes before? 

Somehow he wasn't surprised at the end of the day when they walked him home. He felt a little better at that point, happy that with three of them together, it was unlikely that he would be attacked again. They may have been the same age, but they were much bigger than him. Tenzo gave them a small wave goodbye, and went inside to wait for his phone call. 

~

Tenzo was eating his breakfast the next morning when someone knocked on his front door. He wasn't supposed to answer it, but he still got up to peek through the peephole. He saw Shisui's face, awkwardly close to the small circle as he tried to look in. Tenzo was happy that he always got dressed before coming down the stairs, and he chanced opening the door. Shisui and Kakashi smiled at him. 

"Hey!" Shisui sung happily. "We wanted to walk to school with you, but we don't know what time you leave. We just figured we'd head over here early just in case." 

Tenzo was  _ definitely  _ confused now. Does he really need a babysitter all day? 

"Why?" He asked simply. 

"We're friends, aren't we?" Shisui answered with a smile, while Kakashi just watched with interest. "That's what friends do." 

Tenzo wasn't sure how to respond to that. He didn't have friends. That's just how it was. He didn't even know if he was  _ allowed  _ to have friends… it had never come up before. "Uh…" was all he managed to say before Shisui was strolling into his house. Kakashi offered him a smile through his mask as he followed the raven-haired teen inside. 

Tenzo wasn't sure about friends, but he  _ was  _ sure that Danzo wouldn't like other people in the house. He watched with wide eyes as Shisui plopped himself down on the couch comfortably. 

"Everything okay?" Kakashi asked lightly, and Tenzo awkwardly shut the door. 

"I don't think I'm supposed to have people over." Tenzo mumbled, placing a nervous hand behind his neck as he moved back to his breakfast. 

Neither of them bothered to answer that. 

"So where is your guardian at?" Shisui asked. 

"Work." Tenzo answered between bites. 

"Oh? Is he always at work in the morning?" Kakashi asked, settling at the kitchen table in Danzo's seat. Tenzo shifted uncomfortably, somehow feeling that him sitting in  _ that _ chair was going to get him busted. He scolded himself, reminding himself that Danzo wasn't  _ actually  _ psychic. 

"He works all week, and comes home friday night." Tenzo answered, wondering if he should even be telling them this. 

"He leaves you home alone all week?" Shisui asked, a strange lilt in his voice. Tenzo swallowed nervously, but nodded. "He calls every day at 3:30." 

Shisui was suddenly next to him in the kitchen, looking at his rice breakfast with interest. The strange teen then went to the fridge, apparently feeling like it was okay to look through all of Tenzo's stuff. 

"Are all of your meals pre-made for the week?" He asked, and Tenzo wasn't exactly happy to answer, so he remained silent. Shisui wasn't bothered. 

"Don't you ever eat any fruit?" He asked, judgement heavy in his tone. 

"Yes." Tenzo answered bitterly. He felt awful  _ enough  _ most of the time without someone going through and picking his life apart. He didn't elaborate, feeling that telling the boy that he ate one orange a week in his Friday lunch wouldn't help him any. 

Shisui caught the tone in his answer, and finally dropped it. 

He finished his breakfast, washed his dishes, and grabbed his stuff. They followed him to the front door, and left ahead of him so he could lock up. Tenzo huffed an inaudible sigh, wondering just what the hell he's managed to get himself into as they walked to school together.

Tenzo noticed that Shisui and Kakashi had quite a following. Everyone that walked by their table in class or at lunch said hi to them. Shisui greeted everyone. Kakashi only nodded at a few. The silver haired boy didn't seem as thrilled with all the attention, especially all the girls that seemed to be fawning over their every movement. How they managed to become friends when they seemed so opposite, was confusing. But even more than that, Tenzo didn't understand what their goal was. The two seemed fairly popular, and could easily fit into any group they wanted. So why the hell were they following  _ him  _ around? 

That friday at lunch, Tenzo finally wanted answers. It had been four days. Four days of them acting like he was just another friend to them. But he wasn't, was he? "Why are you doing this?" 

Both of them stopped talking to look at him. He hadn't even been paying attention enough to know that they were in the middle of a conversation. 

"What do you mean?" Kakashi asked quietly. 

Tenzo frowned down at the table. "Why are you sitting with me? Why would you  _ want  _ to sit with me?" 

Shisui and Kakashi shared a look. Tenzo noticed them doing that.  _ A lot.  _

"Because you are an adorable little squirt and I want to be friends with you." Shisui said with a smile. 

Tenzo blushed immediately, and just glared down at the table. How was he supposed to respond to that?

"I'm only playing with you, Tenzo." Shisui said with a laugh. "Well… you  _ are  _ adorable. And I  _ do  _ want to be your friend… but I was just trying to make you blush. I am  _ very  _ into girls." 

Tenzo finally broke his gaze away from the table to look at Kakashi, who hadn't said anything. 

"Do you not  _ want  _ to be friends with us?" Kakashi asked. Tenzo could see the nervousness in his face. Would he really care all that much if Tenzo rejected him?

Regardless of the fact that he never had friends before and didn't know  _ how  _ to be friends with someone… he wanted this. These two were the first people to give him a chance. They were nice, and they seemed genuinely interested in spending time with him. 

He forced himself to make eye contact with the dark gray eyes Kakashi watched him with. "I-I want to be friends with you." He mumbled softly. He wasn't sure they would actually hear him with how quiet he was speaking, but they smiled, so he smiled back. 

When was the last time he had smiled? He couldn't remember. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

Danzo was not happy with Tenzo's ruined shirt. He didn't want to, but the young boy  _ had  _ to show him. If Danzo had found out during a room check, things would have been much worse. So now, Tenzo sat at the table watching Danzo eat his dinner while his stomach rumbled loudly. He probably wouldn't be allowed dinner all weekend, plus whatever  _ other  _ punishments Danzo had in store for him. 

It didn't take long for Danzo to come up after dinner. "How did you ruin your shirt, boy?" He growled. 

"A m-man attacked me in the street on my way home from school, Sir." Tenzo answered immediately, standing in front of him with his eyes on the floor. 

"Why would a man attack  _ you _ ?" He asked, and Tenzo knew from the statement that the man either wasn't going to believe it, or was going to be even more angry. 

"H-he tried to r-rape me, Sir." Tenzo stuttered out. 

Danzo paused, and for a moment, Tenzo allowed himself to think that the man might  _ actually  _ feel bad for him. 

"And what did you do about it?" He asked, his eyes narrowed. 

"I k-kicked him and got away, Sir." Tenzo answered, and he felt his face warming up drastically. 

"Did he touch you?" Danzo asked, and suddenly Tenzo started to feel like this was a trap. He wanted to lie, to say that the man  _ hadn't  _ actually palmed him through his pants. But years of training would overrule that thought. 

"Yes, Sir." Tenzo whispered. 

Tenzo was right. It was a trap. Danzo was pissed that he had "let another man touch him" when he was  _ clearly  _ Danzo's property. So after the belt treatment he had gotten for ruining the shirt in the first place, he received a  _ second  _ belt beating for that. Danzo wasn't done after that. Tenzo received something far worse afterwards.

~

Danzo informed Tenzo that he was to remain in his room all of the next day, and was only allowed to leave to use the bathroom. So when Tenzo woke in the morning, he didn't rush to get out of bed. He winced in pain when he tried to roll, remembering how long he had tried to get comfortable enough to sleep. 

When he finally made it to the bathroom, he was afraid to look in the mirror. He finished his business and cleaned himself up as much as he could without looking. 

Tenzo sighed, then looked at himself in the mirror. Lines of welts from the belt trailed from his shoulders downwards. The welts didn't stop until midway down his thighs. Danzo was smart. He knew that the boy had to wear shorts for class. His skin was broken in many places, and he knew his ass would be tender for quite some time. If he was lucky, Danzo would be so pissed that he wouldn't want to look at him for the rest of the weekend. Last night was a nightmare. The pain was immeasurable when Danzo took his pleasure regardless of the welts across Tenzo's backside. He could only imagine what it would feel like if the man came back tonight. 

Tenzo laid down on his stomach when he made it back to bed. He decided to just stay in his underwear to allow some of his wounds to breathe. Plus, he had a feeling that if he actually managed to fall asleep again, he wouldn't wake up until Danzo was paying him another visit. 

He was right. He only woke up because of the familiar creaking noise his door made. He hadn't been allowed to eat all day. His mouth was dry and his stomach hurt terribly. 

Tenzo remained still, his mind reeling with thoughts of what may be in store for him. Danzo grabbed his arm, dragging him out of bed and onto his knees. This was different. Tenzo wasn't sure what the hell kind of beating this would be, but he was scared. He looked up at his guardian, who kept one hand angrily fisted in Tenzo's hair, and the other one working his belt. Another belt beating? Tenzo's skin hurt just thinking about it. 

His brown eyes widened when Danzo kept going, unbuttoning his pants and working the zipper. This was new… he didn't know how to deal with this. Danzo pulled out his massive erection, something Tenzo had made a point to not look at in the past. 

"Open your mouth." Danzo growled angrily, and Tenzo couldn't do anything but comply. He whimpered as the man guided himself into his waiting mouth. Danzo had never messed with him like this before. As soon as he was able to, the man let go of himself and moved his hand to join the other in Tenzo's hair. 

There was no warning. Danzo shoved himself so far into Tenzo's mouth that the boy choked, his eyes watering and his jaw feeling like it was being ripped open. Tenzo's hands reached out frantically, searching for anything to hold on to as the man started aggressively fucking into his mouth. If he had eaten anything today, he would have thrown it up, but his body trying to dry-heave didn't deter Danzo in the slightest. He gripped the man's pants, trying his hardest to get some air into his lungs and hoping the man wasn't going to rip his hair out. 

It wasn't good enough for Danzo, apparently, and he used his grip in Tenzo's hair to throw him down to the ground roughly. He cried out, the welts on his back and ass protesting painfully. 

Danzo was on him, ripping his underwear down and lifting his legs on his shoulders. In his head, Tenzo knew that Danzo only faced him when he didn't want to look at his own handiwork on Tenzo's back. But he also knew that this position allowed him to push himself deeper into Tenzo's body, and that he was on scratchy carpet. He was about to get carpet burns over his welts. 

Danzo didn't prep him. Didn't give him any warning either. He just pushed in, and Tenzo screamed. His entire body was on fire as the older man pounded into him. His injuries were getting scraped against the carpet brutally, to the point where Danzo actually clasped a hand over his mouth roughly to muffle the young boy's shrieks of pain. 

It was over quickly, but Tenzo knew the damage was done. He had no doubt that the skin was missing from parts of his back, and that there was blood on the carpet. He could hardly breathe, the painful shaking of his body causing him to wheeze, whimpers coming out in between gasps. Danzo hardly looked at him before he left. 

This was the worst treatment he's had in a long time. He was afraid to lift himself from the carpet, afraid to expose the new wounds to the open air, but he knew he needed to clean himself up. Tenzo knew that the longer he stayed on the carpet, the higher chance he had of his wounds getting infected. He forced himself up off the floor, crying out sharply as he did. He managed to clean himself up a little, and slowly pulled some underwear on. 

Tenzo was standing on shaky legs when his door creaked open again. He turned slowly, and saw Danzo looking at his back. He set a small plate of food and two bottled waters on his nightstand. He knew it was bad if even  _ Danzo  _ was trying to be nice afterwards. The man disappeared quickly, returning with a small tube of ointment. He tossed it on Tenzo's bed. 

"Wash up, and spread that on once it's dry." He growled out.

"Yes, Sir." Tenzo replied quietly, his voice hoarse from all of his screams. Danzo left quietly, and Tenzo could hear his office door slam shut downstairs. 

He ate the food, after he was rather shocked to find that it wasn't a sandwich or plain rice. It was leftovers from Danzo's salmon dinner. Tenzo had never had salmon before, and it was delicious. 

When he was finished eating, he gingerly carried himself to the bathroom to shower. He glanced at the clock on the wall. 4 a.m. was a bit early, but Danzo  _ did  _ tell him to wash up. 

The water burned, and it took quite a bit of effort to carefully wash the raw patch up by his shoulders. The skin was definitely gone. Once he was done and dry, it took an incredibly long time to get the antibacterial ointment spread over his back and shoulders. Painful as well. How the hell was he supposed to make it through school on Monday? Was Danzo still going to visit him Sunday night? Thinking about another visit this weekend brought tears to Tenzo's eyes. He slowly trudged back to his bed, thankful that he didn't have to clean it before laying down for once. There were two pain pills next to the waters on his nightstand, and another pill that Tenzo recognized as a sleeping pill. 

_ Hm. Maybe Danzo isn't so heartless after all _ . 

It was dangerous to think that way, and Tenzo knew it. But as he forced himself to lay back down on his stomach, he allowed himself that small comfort. 

~

Monday morning came quickly. Danzo had left him alone in his room all day Sunday, and didn't bother to stop by that night. Tenzo was grateful. After all, hadn't he been punished enough? 

He was finally able to wear t-shirts this week. Ironic, considering his injuries were the worst by far for this school year. His back looked even worse this morning, with the bruising from the belt starting to show through the rows of welts. 

He was eating breakfast when the knocking started. He shouldn't have been surprised that Shisui and Kakashi still wanted to walk to school with him. Tenzo let them inside, and went back to his rice. 

"Good morning, Tenzo!" Shisui chirped happily. He nodded, and even managed a smile for his new friend. Shisui seemed to like that, because his smile doubled in size. 

"How are you this morning?" Kakashi asked, taking his usual seat across the table. 

Tenzo shrugged. He certainly wasn't going to tell him that his every movement was pure torture at the moment. "Tired." 

They walked out the front door together, Tenzo making sure to lock up behind them. 

"Don't worry Tenzo. There's nothing that'll wake you up faster than an exciting day at school." Shisui said sarcastically with a laugh. Tenzo started to laugh… until Shisui gave him a firm pat on the back. Tenzo couldn't help the pained squawk or the flinching away. 

"Are you okay?" Both boys asked simultaneously, and Tenzo felt one of them moving the back of his shirt. He spun around quickly, hoping he had ripped the shirt out of their hands before they had seen anything. 

Judging by the looks on their faces, they at least saw a little. 

"What happened?" Kakashi whispered harshly, his silver brows furrowed with worry. 

Tenzo scrambled for an answer, searching his brain for an excuse.  _ Any  _ excuse. "I uh… I fell down the stairs. I'm kind of a clutz, you know?" 

Tenzo could see it in their eyes. They didn't buy it. Maybe it was because of the fact that he gave them a full answer instead of just a one-word excuse. They didn't respond. 

"We better get going to school. Don't want to be late!" Shisui called out enthusiastically, and Kakashi nodded. They both started walking, and Tenzo exhaled in relief. They were going to mind their own business. If people started snooping around, Tenzo would have to change schools. He  _ definitely  _ didn't want that. Not when he  _ finally  _ had friends for the first time in his life. 

The day went by like normal, right up until lunch. Shisui was digging through his pack, and Tenzo was opening his sandwich. Kakashi reached over, snagging the food right out of Tenzo's hands. He frowned at him, angry that Kakashi had decided to mess with what little food Tenzo was allowed to have. 

His anger turned to confusion when Shisui plopped a bento box down in front of him. 

"That's for you." Shisui said with a smile. Tenzo raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm not going to eat your lunch. I have my own." 

"That's not mine. I have another one. I packed that one specifically for you." Shisui said, his eyes bright with excitement. Tenzo was confused. "Why?"

"You need more variety, Tenzo." Kakashi drawled. "Maybe more nutrients will keep you from spazzing out and flying down the stairs." He added, giving him a flat look that said his excuse was bullshit. Tenzo narrowed his eyes at that, but couldn't exactly argue his point without proving his lie. He looked back to Shisui, and it was hard to be mad. His friend looked so happy to be able to help. Tenzo sighed, and looked down to the food. "What is it?"

"It's sesame chicken, apple slices, grapes, and carrots." Shisui replied happily. 

"Sesame chicken?" Tenzo asked, opening the box to smell it. 

"You've never tried it?" Kakashi asked, somewhat hesitantly. 

Tenzo shook his head, accepting a fork from Shisui. He took a bite of the chicken, and noticed both boys watching him. He smiled at them, and they went about eating their own lunches. The chicken was good, but Tenzo was  _ very  _ happy with the fruits Shisui had brought him. He ate every bit of food, making sure to thank Shisui excessively when he was done. As much as he hated having them pity him, he  _ really  _ enjoyed eating something besides sandwiches for once. 

Shisui was excitedly pointing out another one of his cousins. "That's Itachi. He's my favorite little cousin. He's a freshman."

Tenzo raised an eyebrow at him. That was like the fifth cousin he's pointed out. "Is  _ everyone  _ your cousin?" 

Shisui and Kakashi both laughed at that. Shisui smiled at him. "This is a small town. The people here are either related to everyone, or dating someone that is." 

Tenzo looked to Kakashi. "Are you related to a bunch of people?" 

Kakashi laughed heartily. "Unfortunately, yes."

Shisui punched him playfully. "Rude!" He turned his black eyes to Tenzo. "Didn't I tell you Kakashi is my cousin too?" 

Tenzo frowned. Every one of Shisui's cousins had black hair and black eyes. Kakashi… not so much. Shisui laughed again at his confusion. " _ They _ are my cousins on my  _ Dad's  _ side. Kakashi's mother and my step mother were sisters. So he's my cousin too. Just not by blood. I always considered her my mother, since my own died when I was born."

Kakashi smiled too. Tenzo couldn't help but notice that Shisui said they  _ were  _ sisters. 

Kakashi noticed his confusion. "Our mothers died in a car accident ten years ago. But our dads are still very good friends since they work together." 

"They're cops." Kakashi said proudly. "And they're partners."

"And neighbors!" Shisui added with a smile. 

The rest of the day was pretty quiet. The boys told exciting tales of their dads busting criminals, and Tenzo happily listened. 

~

Shisui watched Tenzo as he retreated into his house. His smile immediately dampened into a frown, and he met Kakashi's gaze. 

"We  _ have  _ to say something now." Kakashi mumbled quietly, and Shisui grunted his agreement. They had suspected that Tenzo's household was a bit…  _ unhealthy _ from the beginning, but after this morning… they couldn't deny that something fucked up was going on. They walked to Kakashi's house together, steeling themselves for an unpleasant conversation. 

When they walked inside, their fathers were both inside watching some generic action movie. Kakashi stepped in front of the screen, and both of them looked up at him. 

"We were hoping that we could speak with you about something important." Kakashi drawled. Both adults looked at each other, knowing Kakashi simply did not ever act this way, and Kakashi's father, Sakumo, turned the tv off. 

"Is something wrong?" Kagami, Shisui's father, asked carefully. 

"Yes. It's about our friend Tenzo." Kakashi answered quickly. 

"The quiet one that you walk to school with?" Sakumo asked. 

Shisui nodded. "We think something is going on in that house." 

Both parents sat silently, knowing their children wouldn't bring it up unless they were sure. 

"He's  _ really _ small. We've seen his breakfast. All the guy lets him eat is rice and sandwiches. Its pre-packaged in the fridge for him. He's not allowed to go anywhere and has to answer a phone call at 3:30 every day to prove he is home." Kakashi started. 

"And… a man tried to assault him on his way home the other day before we ran into him. He acted like… like it was  _ normal _ ." Shisui added with a frown. 

"We weren't sure until today, but he always changes for gym class in the stalls. We thought maybe he was just a little shy. But today Shisui touched his back and he was almost crying because it hurt him so badly. I moved his shirt a little bit before he pulled away from me." Kakashi said quietly. 

Sakumo shifted uncomfortably. "What did you see?" 

"It was bad." Shisui said softly. "It looked like… maybe marks from a belt? They were bruised and awful… and it wasn't even the part of his back that I touched."

"What did he say?" Kagami asked. 

Kakashi crossed his arms angrily. "He said he fell down the stairs. He seemed defensive, so we dropped it. But it was very obviously not the truth." 

"Who does he live with?" Sakumo replied. 

"Some guy named Danzo." Shisui spoke strongly. Tenzo hadn't really volunteered much information on his home life or the man he lived with. "He refers to him as his guardian." 

The adults shared a look, one that didn't make Shisui feel too good. 

"Look." Sakumo started. "This is going to be rough. We're going to help your friend… but it's going to be slow moving. We can't just take him away or accuse his guardian of anything, or the man will disappear and take the kid with him. That man is very powerful, and we're going to have to build a solid case against him. We will speak with Tenzo at school tomorrow. It's going to take a while… and in the meantime, there's nothing we can do to help him but be there for him." 

Both teenagers nodded. Now they just had to hope that Tenzo was willing to cooperate. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! I was really hoping to get some comments on this because it helps motivate me to keep going. So please, if you have thoughts, share them with me!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting chapters three and four together, so don't miss out on chapter 3!

Tenzo was happy to see his friends in the morning. They chatted happily while Tenzo ate his breakfast, and then walked to school. Tenzo was a little surprised when Shisui wasn't in class. It seemed he had only separated from the two for a minute to go to his locker. He waited, and he still didn't show up. Tenzo tried to hide his disappointment, but frowned anyway. The final bell rang, and it was official. Shisui was either late for class, or changed his class completely. Maybe Shisui didn't want to be friends with him anymore? Tenzo shook his head. If that were true… why would he continue to walk with him to school? 

"Tenzo Shimura?" The teacher called out suddenly, hanging up the phone on her desk. Tenzo snapped his attention to her curiously. "Yes?" 

"You are needed in the office." She replied softly. Tenzo swallowed nervously. He hadn't done anything wrong, but he couldn't help but feel like he was in trouble as he grabbed his book and left. Tenzo could only imagine how terrible the upcoming weekend would be if he got himself in trouble at school. He walked into the office nervously, shifting from one foot to the other as he waited for the receptionist to stop talking on the phone. 

A door opened from the side, and Shisui peeked his head out with a smile. "Tenzo! In here." 

Tenzo looked at the letters on the door.  _ Nurse's office.  _ He swallowed nervously again. He wasn't supposed to go in there. As if sensing his hesitance, Shisui spoke again. "It's okay, Tenzo. Just come on. Trust me." 

He wanted to trust Shisui… but he also wanted to turn around and run back down the hall to his classroom. After another moment of decision making, he gathered his courage and followed Shisui into the office. He was greeted immediately by the sight of two police officers, the school principal, the nurse, and Kakashi. 

Looking at the two cops, it didn't take a genius to figure out immediately that these were Shisui and Kakashi's parents. Even if the name tags hadn't said Uchiha and Hatake, Tenzo would have known by the insane resemblance. Looking at Kakashi's handsome father, he wondered if  _ that's  _ what the teenager's face looked like underneath the mask. 

"Tenzo? My name is Sakumo Hatake. I'm sure you can guess that I'm Kakashi's father." The man said with a smile, reaching out and ruffling Kakashi's hair affectionately. The teenager wrinkled his nose, pushing his father's hand away. Tenzo smiled at that as Shisui's father stepped forward. 

"I'm Kagami Uchiha. I'm the one responsible for creating  _ this one _ ." He said, gesturing to Shisui with a crooked smile. Shisui laughed loudly as the nurse and principal gave them some privacy. 

"Tenzo… I'll be straight with you. Kakashi and Shisui have told us some things… and we're concerned." Sakumo started. Tenzo's smile left his face quickly, and he felt himself shrinking a little. 

"I know you're probably scared, and you probably think that us getting involved just means that you're just going to have to move away." Kagami interrupted. "But if you help us, we can build a solid case against Danzo, one that he can't weasel out of, without him even finding out until I am cuffing the bastard."

"He won't find out, Tenzo. I promise you that." Sakumo spoke softly. 

Tenzo wanted to run. Could he trust these people? And besides… what would he do if Danzo was arrested? He had nowhere else to go. What would he get from helping them?

"Tenzo?" Kakashi asked, stepping forward. Tenzo looked at him. Part of him thought that maybe he should feel betrayed, but he knew deep down that they were just trying to help. 

"When Danzo goes to jail… you can come stay with us. I already asked my dad about it." Kakashi said sheepishly. 

Tenzo was surprised, honestly. His eyes watered a little at the admission. He wasn't aware that they actually cared about him that much. It was a weird feeling. 

"Will you help us?" Sakumo asked slowly. 

Tenzo thought about it for another minute before nodding slowly. Shisui jumped happily, moving to Tenzo and sweeping him into a hug. It hurt his shoulders a bit, but mostly he was just confused. He hadn't had contact like this since… well, he couldn't remember. His eyes watered again, and he wasn't sure if it was from the pain.

"Shisui! Calm down and be careful." His father scolded him, and the teen backed off immediately. "Sorry, Tenzo! Are you okay?" 

Tenzo wiped his eyes, a little embarrassed at how weak he felt. "Yeah. I just… I don't remember ever being hugged before." 

The room was silent for a minute as Tenzo regained his composure. He could tell that his statement had dampened the mood even more. They all felt sorry for him. 

"Tenzo, first things first, I'd like to get your weight. If you wouldn't mind." Kagami spoke softly. Tenzo nodded, and cooperated while they took his height, weight, and took pictures of him on the scale. He went through the explanation of his daily activities during Danzo's absence, and his daily meals that the man left him. Everything was being recorded, and Tenzo found it all a little tiring. Shisui and Kakashi stayed by his side the entire time, and Tenzo felt a bit of reassurance from that. He didn't start to get nervous until they asked about what happened when Danzo returned from work. 

"What is your schedule like on Friday nights when Danzo returns?" Sakumo asked. He was the one asking questions, while Kagami took notes and held the recording device. 

"Uh… well… he gets home around six, and we have dinner." Tenzo answered. 

"What do you usually eat for dinner when he is home?"

"R-rice." Tenzo answered nervously. Sakumo waited for him to continue. 

"When I'm done eating, I have to wait for Danzo to finish, then I wash the dishes." 

"And then what do you do?"

Tenzo paused, fiddling around with his fingers. Kakashi grabbed one of his hands carefully, threading his fingers between his own. The hand was warm, and Tenzo appreciated it, but he wouldn't meet the other boy's eyes. Not right now. 

"I have to go wait in my room." Tenzo answered vaguely. 

"Wait for what?"

"Danzo. I have to wait until Danzo comes up to see me." Tenzo answered. 

"How long do you wait?" 

"It changes. Sometimes it's hours. Sometimes he follows me up. Once I had to wait until five a.m.." Tenzo answered nervously. There was no point in hiding anything now. Not if he wanted this to work.

"What do you do when you wait?"

"I have to wait in bed. I'm not supposed to wear anything except for my underwear." Tenzo answered, staring down at Kakashi's pale fingers interlocked with his own thin ones. 

Sakumo paused, clearly unsure on whether he really wanted to continue this with the other teenagers in the room. "Would you like to continue this in private?" 

"No. It's fine." Tenzo replied, and Kakashi squeezed his hand in reassurance. Shisui reached over, rubbing his arm lightly. Tenzo appreciated their comfort, and wanted them to stay. As embarrassing as it would be for him to say things in front of them… he wanted them there. 

"Okay. What happens when Danzo comes up?" 

"He punishes me." Tenzo answered, feeling his face going red. 

"Punishes you for what?" 

"Usually it's what I owe him for living there, and all the clothes and stuff he provides me. If I get in trouble, it's worse." Tenzo couldn't even look up anymore. 

"What is the punishment?" 

"It depends on how Danzo feels. Sometimes, he beats me." 

"Beats you? With what?" 

"His hands mostly. He punches me, kicks me… sometimes he chokes me. But if he's really mad, he'll use a b-belt." Tenzo could feel how restless and uncomfortable everyone was. He wondered how much worse it would get when he got to the  _ other  _ punishment. 

"Okay." Sakumo replied, wiping his forehead anxiously. "And… if he  _ doesn't _ beat you?"

"He…" Tenzo started, shifting nervously in his seat. "He has sex with me. Sometimes he tries to make it hurt less… but mostly he just does what he wants." 

Sakumo's eyes watered a bit, but he regained control quickly. "What happens after that?" 

"He leaves me there. I'm supposed to clean up the mess and go to bed." Tenzo answered quietly. "The next two days are the same way. He leaves really early on Monday morning. Before I wake up." 

Sakumo took a long moment to process that. "Okay. Tenzo… can we see your injuries from this last weekend?" He asked carefully. Tenzo knew this was going to happen, and he had been trying to prepare himself for it since he agreed to help. He stood slowly, nodding his head. "Y-yes." 

Kakashi released his hand, and Tenzo took his shirt off slowly. 

"Alright, I'll need to take pictures. Is that okay?" Kagami asked, holding up his camera. Tenzo nodded, and the man took a picture of the finger bruises near his waist. He turned around, and heard everyone in the room gasp at his back. He knew it looked awful. He heard the camera click several times before anyone spoke again. 

"How far down do those go?" Sakumo asked, his voice breaking a little. 

"Down to my thighs." Tenzo answered quietly. 

"Can you show us?" Kagami asked, and Tenzo could tell that the man was afraid to see it. 

"We can look away." Shisui announced, as he and Kakashi turned away from him. 

"You don't have to. I'm not ashamed of my body… just of my injuries. You've already seen so much. It doesn't matter." Tenzo replied dryly. They both hesitated for a moment, then turned back around. Tenzo made quick work of his pants, dropping them down to the floor while facing away from them. They could see some of the marks on his thighs, but Tenzo knew that his shoulders and his ass were the worst spots. He pulled his boxers down slowly, and waited for Shisui's dad to take the pictures. As soon as he was given the okay, he dressed himself. 

"Can you tell us what happened last weekend?" Sakumo asked. 

"Danzo was mad at me, so he used the belt on me Friday night. Afterwards, he still wanted to have sex with me." Tenzo answered. It was getting easier. He could feel himself becoming detached from the situation… as if he were talking about someone else. 

"Why was Danzo mad?" 

"One of my turtlenecks was ruined. Someone jumped me on my way home from school and ripped my shirt." Tenzo explained. 

After explaining the attempted rape, Sakumo looked excessively angry. 

"You told Danzo about the man trying to touch you?" 

"Yes. I got a second beating with the belt for letting the man touch me." Tenzo answered easily. 

Sakumo sat silent for a moment, clearly trying to calm himself down. Shisui and Kakashi both grabbed one of Tenzo's hands, and he welcomed the contact. 

"Okay. What about Saturday night?" 

Tenzo didn't really know how to explain the mouth thing. He had never experienced that before. "Uh… well… I don't think Danzo liked seeing the marks on my back. Things were…  _ different." _

"Different?" 

"He… used my mouth." Tenzo said nervously, making sure not to make eye contact with anyone. "He'd never done that before. But it wasn't good enough… so he threw me on the floor and had regular sex instead. But from the front this time. He doesn't usually do  _ that  _ either." 

"What happened to the skin on your shoulders?" Kagami asked. 

"Oh. That's rug burn from Saturday night. It used to be welts there too." Tenzo answered. He felt like maybe he was saying these things too casually, judging by the looks on everyone's faces. Maybe he was answering things the wrong way. He started to doubt himself as he sat there, waiting for someone to say something.  _ Anything  _ really. 

"I'm sorry if I didn't give you good enough answers." Tenzo said quietly. Both adults looked shocked. 

"No! Tenzo… your answers are fine. You've done such a great job, and we're all very proud of you." Sakumo said, reaching out slowly to place a hand on Tenzo's shoulder. 

Tenzo's emotions bubbled up immediately, and tears streamed down his face. "T-thank you." He choked out, letting go of his friends' hands to rub at his face. 

"Okay. Now the nurse in going to come back in, and she's going to treat your injuries. Is that okay?" Kagami asked softly. Tenzo nodded.

"Then after school today, is it alright if we take a look around your house? We won't do anything until after your call with Danzo. He won't even know we are there." Sakumo asked. Tenzo nodded again, no longer trusting his voice to speak anymore. 

~

After the horrific ordeal of having the school nurse rub ointment all over him and bandage a few terrible spots, the rest of the day went back to normal. They had taken up most of the first two periods already, and the other classes went by quickly. Tenzo was given a very nice lunch from Shisui that had cubed steak in it, along with cucumbers, carrots, and a banana. All of it was delicious, and Tenzo felt a nice surge of energy after having the veggies. He was a bit surprised though when Kakashi produced a thermos full of milk for him to drink. He was so used to drinking water all the time that he sucked it all down enthusiastically, listening to Kakashi's explanation on all the calcium and vitamins he needed to catch up on. 

The end of the day came quickly, and Tenzo exited the doors with his friends to see Sakumo waiting with a car. Tenzo was thankful they weren't taking a police car to his house, and climbed into the back with Shisui and Kakashi. The fifteen minute walk translated into a two minute drive, and Tenzo let both cops and his friends into the house. True to their word, they all sat around talking until Danzo's phone call.

Sakumo didn't bother recording the call, since the whole thing was about 15 seconds long. 

After that was done, the cops looked around the first floor, taking pictures of the meals left in the fridge, and a few things they found interesting in Danzo's room. Tenzo refused to go in there. There were some rules he still couldn't bring himself to break. They went up the stairs to his room, everyone stopping to look at the blood stains on the carpet. They took pictures, then asked what they were from. 

"Both are from Saturday night. The big one is from my shoulders. The small one… that's… well that's from the sex." He answered vaguely, knowing the adults would understand. He certainly wasn't going to say out loud that he was bleeding from his ass afterwards. They took pictures of his blood stained sheets, and both adults cringed when he pulled out the red towel from under his bed. 

"So… the red sheets and the red towel are to… hide the  _ blood  _ from your… sexual punishments?" Sakumo asked incredulously, having a hard time stringing the words together. Tenzo nodded. 

"Okay. Here's what we're going to do. Have you washed this yet?" Kagami asked. Tenzo shook his head, blushing profusely. 

"Ok. We're going to put this in a bag and take it for evidence. I'll buy you a new towel just like it tomorrow. And we'll repeat this process until we have enough evidence. Okay?" Tenzo nodded, stuffing the towel into a bag when Sakumo brought it up from the car. Shisui and Kakashi hadn't said anything since entering the room, and Tenzo almost felt bad for them. It couldn't be easy for them to see and hear all of this. Tenzo was so used to it… that it almost seemed like something  _ normal.  _ Though he was glad that they had volunteered to tag along for support.

"Alright. For the foreseeable future, we will be at the school on Monday mornings to take a statement and pictures of any injuries you may have. Then, we will come here and take more pictures and trade out your towel, if necessary." Sakumo spoke softly. He turned to Tenzo and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm really sorry, Tenzo. I wish there was a way to do this where you wouldn't have to continue to stay here… but Danzo is a powerful man. In order to take him down, we need to make a case for long term abuse, so he can't say it was a one-time lapse in judgement." 

"It's okay Mr. Hatake. I understand." Tenzo said, and he allowed the man to pull him in for a hug. It felt nice. The man was so tall and warm, Tenzo imagined this must be what it felt like to have a hug from a father. 

Each one of them gave him a hug as he said goodbye, and Tenzo enjoyed each one. He made sure to smile at Shisui and Kakashi, who looked rather depressed with this whole situation. He knew they had suspected abuse… but he was certain they hadn't understood the scope of it all. Shisui paused before leaving. "We will throw your lunches away when we get to school. We're gonna keep bringing you food. You need to eat something healthier." He spoke softly, and Tenzo knew that even if he didn't agree to that, Shisui would still bring him something. He nodded, and said his goodbyes. By the time they left, it was time for dinner. When he finally laid down in bed, he fell asleep almost instantly.


	5. Chapter 5

The next three days went by smoothly. Neither of his friends mentioned any of the things from the investigation, and Shisui continued to bring Tenzo amazing lunches. He had learned that he was a huge fan of chocolate milk, and absolutely loved plain cubes of cheese. 

Shisui and Kakashi had even began coming over after school. They would chat until Tenzo's phone call, and then afterwards they would all sit on the couch and watch TV for a couple hours (with the excessively limited channels Tenzo was allowed to access). He loved the company, and was really starting to feel like a normal kid. 

Of course, on Friday Tenzo wouldn't let them stay over. He couldn't risk Danzo getting out of work early and finding them in the house. His friends were hesitant to leave, and he understood as they walked away with unshed tears in their eyes. He spent his time after school meticulously checking everything, ensuring that there was no trace of any visitors left to find. 

Tenzo's elevated mood ended as soon as Danzo walked through the doors. His wounds had almost completely healed, thanks to the help of the school nurse, and he wasn't looking forward to the new ones he would be gaining. This time at least, he didn't have anything to tell Danzo to make him upset. 

Friday night, Danzo came into his room for sex. He managed a minute or two of dry stretching before taking his dues and leaving Tenzo in a filthy mess on the bed. Tenzo didn't cry this time before falling asleep. It still hurt like hell, and he still screamed and cried during, but at least when it was all over… Tenzo could reassure himself. This was another thing he could use against the man, he thought as he meticulously wiped the blood and semen off of himself with the red towel. 

The next night, Danzo decided to choke him, and throw him around the room a bit. Tenzo made the mistake of flinching away when the older man reached for him, and the new bruising on his wrists were his reward. He wondered what kind of internal damage was being done while he sat in another pile of filth crying to himself. It was hard to stay hopeful when every breath was painful and it felt like his insides were on fire. 

Danzo was nice enough to bring some lube Sunday, but it wasn't enough to save Tenzo from having to clean up a shameful mess of blood. He cried again before his exhausted body finally fell asleep at 3 in the morning. 

Monday morning Tenzo dragged himself out of bed knowing he was going to have to wear a turtleneck. Danzo had left him another one that he had picked up in a thrift shop, so he once again had two. He couldn't very well wear the same shirt all week without drawing attention, after all. 

Tenzo answered the door, knowing that Kakashi and Shisui would undoubtedly be extremely worried about him. He was right. Both of them had bags under their eyes, and he tried his best to reassure them. It didn't matter. They knew as soon as they saw the turtleneck that he had a whole new set of injuries. It became even more apparent when he hissed in pain trying to sit back down for breakfast. 

They didn't go to their first period classes on Mondays any more. Apparently the principal had worked something out with their morning teachers to cooperate with the police investigation. Instead, the three of them went straight to the office to meet with Sakumo and Kagami. 

Kakashi and Shisui winced when he took off his shirt, revealing the nasty bruises around his neck and over his torso. They took pictures of everything… but atleast Tenzo didn't have to remove his boxers this time. He did have to lift the bottom of them up a bit to show the bruising inside of his thigh… but at least he didn't have to flash his junk to everyone. 

"Tenzo… I think we need to take you to see a doctor." Sakumo spoke softly, a sadness prominent in his eyes. 

"Why?" Tenzo asked quietly. He wasn't fond of the idea. 

"I'm worried about…  _ internal  _ damage. I think you need to be looked at. We can take you, but I need to know if you'd rather go during school, or after your phone call." Sakumo explained. 

Tenzo looked down to his fidgeting hands. He had hoped that they were just going to ignore that part… he didn't want anyone looking at him like that. Even so, he knew that like Kakashi and Shisui, their parents would be relentless and not accept 'no' for an answer. He nodded, and answered quietly. "After my phone call, please." 

Tenzo hadn't really thought it through. All he knew was that if Danzo called his teachers and they all told him he skipped class, he would be in trouble… plus he wanted to hang out with Shisui and Kakashi some more. He had missed them this weekend. What he didn't think about, was how dead tired he always was on Mondays. 

Before his phone call, Tenzo showed Kagami to his room, while Sakumo paid a visit to the closest neighbor. Shisui's father took new pictures of his sheets, and bagged up the new towel. No one was thrilled that they still needed to wait longer to establish a pattern, but they knew it needed to be done. 

Sakumo returned just before the phone call, and afterwards they all climbed back into the car. Tenzo was barely aware of himself drifting to sleep off and on in the car. What he  _ was  _ aware of, was the warm body he was leaning on, the arm around him, and the hazy conversation the two adults were having in the front seat. He managed to stay awake long enough to hear that Danzo had told the neighbor lady he was plagued with "debilitating nightmares", and that's why he would be screaming at random times in the night. The body he was laying on tensed as they discussed the topic in the front seat, but Tenzo didn't bother to listen any longer. He shut his eyes and let himself fall asleep. 

When he opened them again, it was because Shisui was prodding his shoulder gently and calling his name. He sat up from where Kakashi had allowed him to use him as a human pillow, and rubbed at his eyes. "Sorry." Tenzo mumbled. "I just don't get a lot of sleep on the weekends." 

"Don't  _ ever  _ apologize for that." Kakashi spoke gently, adjusting himself back into a sitting position. 

They walked into the doctor's office and had been expected. A tall blond lady watched him carefully as they filed in, and Tenzo had never felt so short. Tenzo was a little disappointed that Sakumo was the only one going back with him, but understood that it was for the best. The whole ordeal wasn't that bad, but Sakumo sat with him the whole time and held his hand. Sometimes, Tenzo was still surprised by how nice the two officers were. Sakumo was warm and kind, and treated him like he was important... precious even. If Tenzo closed his eyes, he could pretend for a moment that he had a loving father. 

The woman thankfully informed Sakumo that there wasn't any permanent damage, and Tenzo was able to breathe a sigh of relief. The older man continued to hold his hand as they made their way out to the anxious group. Tenzo thought that he should probably be embarrassed to be holding a grown man's hand when he was almost 16 years old, but he really couldn't be bothered by it. This was the most human contact he had in  _ years _ , and he was going to enjoy it. 

They piled into the car again, Tenzo once again sandwiched protectively in the middle, and once again he started falling asleep. He vaguely felt Shisui pulling him into his side, but he didn't care to fight it. 

He barely noticed when Sakumo lifted him out of the car, or when someone was fishing through his pockets for the keys to the house. His body was far too tired. When he finally woke up, he was in his bed. Tenzo sat up abruptly, trying to remember how the hell he got there. 

A lump on the floor caught his attention. Shisui and Kakashi were camped out on his floor in sleeping bags. Tenzo didn't really know how to respond to that. Shisui opened his eyes and looked up to him sleepily. "Hey Tenzo." 

"Hey." He replied quietly, trying not to wake Kakashi. "What are you doing on my floor?" 

"Having a sleepover." Shisui said with a smile. 

"A sleepover?" Tenzo replied with confusion. 

"Yeah. You wanna join us? There's room down here for you." Shisui offered, making a show of creating room in the middle for him. They had zipped their sleeping bags together, making one giant bag for them to sleep in. Tenzo thought about it for a moment. He had never slept in the same space as someone before. 

He almost said no, but Shisui looked so damn excited that he found he couldn't refuse the offer. He smiled softly, climbing out of his bed. He paused, looking down at his legs. Someone had changed him into blue pajama pants. As far as he knew, he didn't own any sleepwear. 

"Those are an older pair of Kakashi's. We didn't want to leave you sleeping in jeans, and Sakumo thought it would be weird to leave you in your underwear. I hope you aren't mad." Shisui explained in a whisper. 

"Oh. I don't mind." Tenzo said with a shrug. He wriggled his way into the warm sleeping bag, settling himself between his friends and shutting his eyes again for his first ever sleepover. 

~

Tenzo slept all the way up until his alarm went off. Shisui and Kakashi must have been tired too, because they were just starting to stir as well. Shisui jumped out and slapped the top of the alarm, rubbing his eyes. His hair was almost as bad as Kakashi's usual hairdo. Little black curls were sticking up in all sorts of directions, and Tenzo had to stifle a laugh. 

Tenzo sat up, rubbing his own eyes before looking down to Kakashi. The first thing he saw was Kakashi's face. His  _ whole  _ face. He blinked a few times, watching as Kakashi yawned and showed off those perfectly straight teeth. He  _ did _ look a lot like Sakumo, with the exception of a small beauty mark beneath his lips. 

Kakashi met his gaze, and it took a moment for Tenzo to realize he was being super rude. He blushed brightly and turned away, allowing Kakashi to wake up in peace. 

They took turns in the bathroom, and by the time they made it downstairs, the kitchen table had three paper plates with food on them. Tenzo stared at them, trying to figure out what was going on. 

"My dad dropped it off on his way to work." Kakashi spoke from behind him, pointing to Tenzo's house keys sitting next to the plates. He sat down at the table, looking at the plate with eggs, bacon, and potatoes. Tenzo picked up one of the strips of bacon, sniffing it and examining it closely. Shisui and Kakashi watched him with interest. He went for it and took a large bite, immediately falling in love with it. He inhaled the rest of the food enthusiastically, much to the other boys' amusement. They bagged up all the garbage, along with the rice Tenzo was  _ supposed  _ to eat for breakfast, and carried it with them to throw it away at school. 

"I think I could eat bacon every day for the rest of my life." Tenzo said with a smile. Shisui laughed, throwing an arm over his shoulder. Tenzo was getting used to the casual contact Shisui and Kakashi offered, and hoped to be brave enough to return the favor one day. 

The school day went by quickly (with the exception of a surprise test in science) and before he knew it, Tenzo was home alone again. Shisui and Kakashi had left an hour ago, and the brunette already missed them. They had offered to let him come over, but he refused, still afraid to be caught roaming freely. 

He went to bed dreaming of what his life would be like without Danzo. 

Friday came along quickly, and with it, came the graded science tests. Tenzo's stomach dropped when he saw the bright red B- marked on his paper. Kakashi sat next to him, looking over his own paper that was marked with an A. He saw Tenzo's sour mood, and tried to reassure him. "Don't worry Tenzo, I'll help you study." He said with a smile, bumping shoulders with him playfully. Tenzo forced himself to smile back. Kakashi wasn't taking into account the fact that Danzo was going to call or email his teachers… and he would find out. A B- was not good enough for Danzo, and Tenzo knew he would suffer for it. He remembered how stressed out the two of them looked Monday morning. Tenzo made a split second decision to keep the worry to himself, and forced himself to smile through the last two class periods of the day. 

Once again, his friends were reluctant to leave him, but he insisted he would be fine. After all, he's made it through five years in one piece, hasn't he? Turns out his friends didn't enjoy that revelation very much. 

As soon as the door was shut, Tenzo started to panic. Would he get the belt treatment? Or worse? 

At dinner, it was as Tenzo feared. Before he had even sat down to eat, Danzo started his questions. When he made it to "Are you maintaining your grades?" There was a chilling tone to his voice. He  _ knew _ , and if Tenzo didn't spill the beans right now, he would be severely punished. 

"N-no Sir. I only got a B- on my science test." Tenzo stuttered out. 

"Upstairs. Now." Danzo growled out, and Tenzo started to sweat immediately as he dragged himself upstairs for his punishment. 

~

When Monday rolled around, Tenzo was hardly able to make it out of his bed. After falling several times, he finally made it downstairs. His friends were already knocking on the door by the time he got there. He opened the door, leaning on it a little as his friends filed in. 

"You're not even eating yet?" Kakashi asked curiously. Tenzo shook his head, trying not to breathe too loud. His ribs were killing him, and every breath he took was pure agony. It didn't help that he felt like his legs would give out at any moment. He forced his shaky legs to move, and barely made it halfway across the room before Shisui and Kakashi were wide-eyed with worry. 

He partially collapsed, and Shisui caught him painfully across his hurt ribs, and Tenzo couldn't hold back the scream that sprung from his lips. Shisui immediately lowered him to the floor and let go. He looked back behind Tenzo, presumably making eye-contact with Kakashi. 

"Dad?" Kakashi suddenly spoke out. "Can you come get us? Tenzo needs medical help." Kakashi paused, listening to whatever his dad had to say. "Okay. Thanks, dad." Kakashi said before hanging up. He kneeled down in front of Tenzo, who was struggling to breathe. 

"What the hell happened?" He asked, his gray eyes already starting to water. 

"Science test." Was all Tenzo managed to get out before he was gasping for air again. It was too painful, and his eyes teared up instantly. 

After a few minutes, the front door opened, both adults appearing in front of Tenzo. They only had to take one look at him. "He needs to go to the hospital." Kagami announced. "Where does it hurt?"

"Ribs, I think." Shisui said, his voice shaking. Tenzo nodded, though that was far from the only place he was injured. Sakumo took a moment to think, then hooked one arm under Tenzo's legs, and the other behind his back to carry him bridal style. Kagami got in the driver's seat, and Shisui sat up front. Apparently, Sakumo didn't plan on letting him go, and climbed straight into the back seat with Tenzo cradled to his chest. Tenzo closed his eyes for a moment, wincing as pain shot down his spine all the way to his toes. 

As soon as the car stopped, Kagami was running inside, and the two teenagers helped Sakumo get out of the car. They made it through the doors just as the nurses were bringing a stretcher around the corner. 

Tenzo felt blinding pain as he was put on the stretcher. His vision blurred a bit, and he passed out. 

~

Tenzo woke up in a hospital bed. He felt a bit stiff, honestly, but he wasn't in a lot of pain. 

"Tenzo?" Sakumo's voice spoke quietly.

Tenzo forced his eyes to open. His vision was blurry, but he could definitely still see Kakashi and Sakumo's crazy silver hair. As his vision cleared up more, he could see Shisui and Kagami on one side, and Sakumo and Kakashi on the other. They were all watching him intensely. 

"Tenzo? Can you hear me?" He tried again. Tenzo nodded, and cleared his throat. "How long have I been out?" 

"About an hour." Kagami said quietly. 

Tenzo's eyes opened wide suddenly. "Oh man! I've got to get to school." He said worriedly. 

"Don't worry about that now." Kakashi said softly. 

"No! You don't understand! Danzo's going to be so mad at me if I skip school." Tenzo winced as new pain rose up his chest. 

"Calm down, Tenzo. I've already sent a team to get a warrant and arrest Danzo." Kagami replied, placing a hand on Tenzo's leg. 

"You… you did?" Tenzo said, a bit shocked that they had already went ahead with the plan. "Did… did you go too early?" He was afraid that all their efforts had been for nothing… that Danzo would just take Tenzo away and he'd never see his friends again. 

"No. We have more than enough evidence to establish long term abuse. Especially now that we've seen your X-Ray." Kagami answered thoughtfully. 

"My X-ray?" Tenzo asked curiously. 

Sakumo and Kagami shared a look. Suddenly, he realized where Kakashi and Shisui had gotten that particular habit from. 

"You… had some pre-existing injuries that had healed over already. You've broken your arm twice in the past, have rebroken two ribs that had been broken previously, and have another that was healed over. You also appear to have fractured your pelvis at least twice. As for right now, you also have a fractured vertebra in your back." Sakumo replied. "I'm guessing you were never treated for any of that. The doctor said that your arm healed terribly."

Tenzo thought for a moment. "No… I'm fairly certain that both arm breaks happened during the last two summers. Danzo doesn't have to be so careful if I'm not going to school. I've never been to see a doctor before that I can remember."

"Do you think you can tell us what happened now? For the recording?" Kagami asked. 

Tenzo nodded slowly. He knew that this was still very important. 

Kagami set up the recorder, and Sakumo asked the questions again. 

"Let's start with Friday when Danzo came home." 

"Danzo sent me to my room without dinner to wait for my punishment." Tenzo started. By this point, he knew what information they wanted, but needed to let Sakumo ask the questions. 

"Why were you being punished?" 

"I got a B- on my science test." Tenzo answered quickly. Kakashi looked a bit guilty, and Tenzo wanted to reassure him  _ so bad _ , but knew he needed to stay on task for the recording. He settled for reaching a hand out to him. Kakashi took it quickly, smiling at him lightly. 

"What happened when Danzo came upstairs?" 

"Danzo ordered me to stand against the wall. He punched me in the ribs, and I puked up some blood on the carpet and fell to the floor. He was yelling at me, asking if I liked to embarrass him by getting low grades. Then he got even more mad about the blood on the carpet. He kicked me in the back several times, and then he took his belt off." Tenzo explained quickly. It was a rough night, that was for sure. 

"Okay. What happened next?" 

"Danzo hit me a bunch with the belt, and then he used it to tie my hands to the bed frame. He choked me again, and he punched me in the ribs again. And then…and then he had sex with me." Tenzo continued explaining, his eyes starting to water just thinking about the whole ordeal. He had been in  _ so much pain _ , and now he knew why. His ribs and back were broken, and he was stuck stretched out from the floor while Danzo pounded into him  _ dry. _

"What else happened?" 

Tenzo swallowed nervously. "He left me there. Attached to the bed frame." He looked down to his wrists, eyeing the bruising and the places where the belt had cut into his skin. 

"How long?"

"All night." Tenzo choked out quietly, tears rolling down his cheeks. 

"Do you need to take a break?" Sakumo asked worriedly. Kakashi squeezed his hand gently, and it helped to calm Tenzo down a little. He wasn't  _ there _ anymore. He wasn't sitting in the dark, broken inside and stuck to the bed frame. There had to be plenty of evidence at the house at the moment. No doubt Danzo's belt had traces of his blood, there would be a spot of carpet next to the bed that had Tenzo's blood and Danzo's DNA together. He looked up to see Shisui, black eyes staring at him with such an insane concern, and he realized he had been silent for a minute or two. 

"I'm okay." Tenzo answered softly. 

"Okay. So he let you go in the morning?" 

"Well… first he came upstairs and had sex with me again while I was stuck there. Then he let my arms down and I think I passed out on the floor." Tenzo answered nervously. 

"Alright. Did anything else happen over the weekend?" 

"No. Danzo ignored me for the rest of the weekend. I wasn't allowed down for food. I haven't eaten since Friday at school." Tenzo answered, feeling his vision start to blur again. He was tired.  _ So  _ tired. And he was beginning to realize that it was probably the lack of food in combination with the pain pills he was on. 

Kagami clicked the stop button on the recorder, patting Tenzo on the leg gently. Sakumo looked to Kakashi and Shisui, who remained silent and lost in their own thoughts. "Boys, go inform the nurse that Tenzo hasn't eaten in almost three days." They nodded, each giving their own silent goodbye to Tenzo before leaving. 

"Go ahead and rest, Tenzo. We'll wake you when the food is here." Sakumo said softly, grabbing Tenzo's small hand. It was like he had said the magic words. Tenzo's eyes drifted shut again and everything went silent. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting 5 and 6 together, so don't miss out on chapter 5!

When Tenzo woke up again, Sakumo and Kagami were gone. Kakashi and Shisui each grabbed one of his hands. "Are you okay, Tenzo? We have some food for you." Shisui asked. 

Tenzo nodded, and started the  _ extremely  _ slow process of trying to sit up. Kakashi helped him carefully, while Shisui handed him a plate full of fruit chunks. The brunette looked at the plate carefully. "What is this?" 

"It's watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew." Kakashi answered with a smile. "We know you've been a big fan of fruit, so we thought you might like this. Plus it will help keep you hydrated."

Tenzo carefully tried a chunk of each one, smiling all the while because  _ yes _ , he definitely liked it. 

After he was done eating, Kakashi and Shisui explained to Tenzo how they had already gotten pictures of his injuries while he was unconscious, and how their fathers had taken his keys to get the evidence still left in his room. 

"Is there anything in that house that you would like to keep for yourself?" Shisui asked slowly. Tenzo shook his head. He didn't have any personal belongings… not really. 

"You're never going back to that house again. Is that alright?" Kakashi asked warily, his eyes misting a bit as he held Tenzo's hand. 

Tenzo cleared his throat, trying not to get emotional, while also trying not to get his hopes up. This didn't feel  _ real _ . It felt like Danzo would come strolling through the door at any moment to drag Tenzo away from here. 

"Well… I should probably get some of my clothes. And I'll need a blanket probably so I don't get cold and stuff." Tenzo started to ramble. 

Shisui squeezed his hand, and he closed his mouth. 

"Tenzo… we're gonna take care of all of that. You're going to get  _ new  _ clothes, and have a  _ new  _ bed. You won't need any of that stuff Danzo gave you.  _ Never _ ." Shisui spoke calmly. 

Tenzo choked out a few unexpected sobs, not really knowing what to say to that. How could he let someone else take care of him? How could he accept  _ anything  _ from these people who had already done  _ so much _ ? Tenzo couldn't pay for any of it… couldn't give them anything in return for their kindness. He chose not to say any of that, and just tried to relax back into the bed and calm himself. 

Kakashi and Shisui chatted quietly for the next hour. Tenzo didn't say much. This was all still a bit overwhelming. 

Eventually, Sakumo returned, his eyes soft and caring as he moved to Tenzo's bedside. He was waiting for the man to open his mouth and tell him it was all for nothing… to tell them he had to go back to that house and live with Danzo's wrath. 

"Tenzo, the nurses say you can leave whenever you're ready, but there's someone else coming here to talk to you." The man said quietly, and Tenzo noticed the strange woman enter the room behind him. 

"She's from social services. She just needs to ask you a few questions, okay?" Sakumo said with a smile. Tenzo nodded weakly, a little wary of the strange woman who hadn't said a thing. 

"Boys, I'll need the room." She spoke strongly, looking down to Shisui and Kakashi. They nodded, each of them giving Tenzo one last look and reassuring squeeze of his hands. Tenzo didn't want them to leave. He especially didn't want to be left alone with this woman. He shifted uncomfortably as she moved closer, and she didn't seem to notice. 

"Tenzo, I am Mika Mitarashi. I work for the state. I just need to ask you a few things before you can get out of here." She said with a smile. Tenzo sat silent, staring up at her nervously.

"I'm not going to ask you about your guardian. I'm here to determine where you will be going next." She said professionally. Tenzo couldn't help but feel his stomach drop. He looked to the door, hoping Sakumo or one of his friends would come back. 

"Let's talk about officer Hatake and officer Uchiha for a moment." She said, and Tenzo met her eyes again. "How do you feel about them?" 

"I like them. They're nice." Tenzo said quietly. 

"They've never been mean, or threatening to you?" 

"No." Tenzo said with a frown. 

"You feel safe with them?"

"Yes." Tenzo said, trying not to show his annoyance.

"Okay." She said with a nod, writing a few things in her notebook. "Tenzo, you have a couple options. You are old enough to have a say in where you want to go, so I'm going to ask you. You can stay here, with Sakumo Hatake and his family, or I can take you somewhere completely new." 

Tenzo opened his mouth to speak, but she held up a hand to stop him. "Really think about it, okay? If I send you somewhere new, no one around you will know about any of this. Just take a minute before you decide."

Tenzo was tired of moving. He  _ finally  _ made friends… and right now, they were the only people he trusted in the whole world. Moving somewhere new, with adults he didn't know, didn't sound appealing in the slightest. 

"I-I'd like to stay here." Tenzo answered. "Can they come back in now?" 

The woman chuckled a little. "Alright Tenzo. I will let you go home with the Hatakes. Thank you for your cooperation." She spoke softly, offering a hand for Tenzo to shake. He did, but he couldn't help but feel like it was the most pathetic handshake of his life. 

When the woman left and his friends were allowed back in, he was relieved. They seemed to relax as well, and they each took their places by his side. There still seemed to be an air of nervousness around them, which only dissipated when Sakumo walked in with a smile. Perhaps they thought he would choose to leave. 

"Alright, Tenzo. The doctor will come in and speak with you, and then we can go home. Okay?" Sakumo said with a smile. 

The doctor came in and explained all the terrible injuries they found, how to care for himself, and that he needed to take it easy. They were given medication at the hospital, since they weren't sure how easy it would be for Sakumo to pick up a prescription for him. The process to actually leave was slow. Sakumo had a number of papers to fill out, and Tenzo was fitted with a back brace for the car ride. 

Predictably, Tenzo fell asleep again in the car. He was starting to find that any extended travel put him straight to sleep. He thought that maybe it had something to do with the fact that he  _ never  _ took trips in the car unless they were moving to a new city. 

He woke to a warm hand on his forehead. Tenzo opened his eyes to see Sakumo beaming at him. "Come on, Tenzo. Let's get you inside." 

~

Kakashi helped his father get Tenzo in the house. As soon as they had Tenzo settled on the L-shaped sectional couch with his brace off, he fell asleep again. Shisui covered the boy in blankets, and settled on the other portion of couch while Kakashi and his father moved around gathering supplies. 

Kakashi watched his father run around gathering up extra blankets and pillows. The man had been attached to Tenzo since their first meeting. Tenzo meant as much to Sakumo as he did to Kakashi, and that was certainly saying something. It warmed his heart to see his father peek over the back of the couch periodically to check on the boy, and the worry on his face when he thought he might be uncomfortable in any sense. 

Together, they sat down and made a list of all the things they would need. While he was injured, he would be staying on the couch. It was the center hub of the house, close to the bathroom, kitchen, and Sakumo's room, should he need anything. The other bedrooms were upstairs, and they  _ definitely  _ weren't letting the boy go up the stairs while he was hurt. After he healed, however, he would need a new bed (the one in the spare bedroom apparently wasn't good enough), new clothes, new shoes… new  _ everything _ . They had a smaller list of things he needed  _ now _ (pajamas, socks, deodorant, shoes, etc.), and they would be going to get that tomorrow. 

They sat at the table quietly. Kakashi looked to his father and smiled. "Thank you, Dad." 

Sakumo smiled brightly, reaching over to ruffle his hair. Normally, Kakashi shied away from it, but he was happy enough at this moment to humor his father. 

"You're a good friend, Kakashi. You boys did a good thing, coming to us, and now Tenzo has a chance for a normal life." Sakumo replied with smile. 

Kakashi joined Shisui on the other end of the couch, and spent some time just watching Tenzo sleep. It hurt his heart to see Tenzo injured like this, but he was beyond happy that Danzo would never be able to have his filthy hands on the boy ever again. He was  _ safe  _ now, and Kakashi made himself a promise that he would always be there to guarantee it. 

~

Tenzo didn't wake up until evening, when Sakumo gently prodded his shoulder. The man had a bowl of food for him, and Tenzo made an effort to sit up. "What is it?" The teen asked curiously, looking at the strange noodles.

"Macaroni and cheese." Sakumo said with a smile. "You never ate  _ any  _ of this stuff  _ before _ you lived with Danzo?" 

Tenzo shook his head. "If I'm being honest… the place before that wasn't all that different than living with Danzo." 

"Really?" Sakumo answered solemnly, hurt flashing through his eyes. 

Tenzo nodded. "I think it was one of Danzo's friends that had me first. When he died, Danzo took me away." 

Tenzo's first home was with a man named Orochimaru. He was an abusive man (though not in a sexual way) who angered quickly. Danzo had been a frequent visitor, and had always given Tenzo a bad feeling. The man stared at him, and stood too close to the point that Orochimaru often told him to step away from "his property". Tenzo decided maybe he would spare Sakumo from a large explanation. 

"It wasn't a…  _ sexual _ thing at my first home." Tenzo said sheepishly, trying to ease the older man's guilt as he grabbed the bowl. It seemed to work, and Sakumo finally relaxed a bit. 

"Thank you, Sir." He spoke automatically, and he saw Sakumo flinch from the title. 

"Please, Tenzo… you don't need to call me that. Just call me Sakumo." The man practically begged. Tenzo nodded slowly. "Okay… Sakumo." 

The older man smiled, and watched as Tenzo took his first bite. "This is delicious!" Tenzo said with a smile, digging in to his food with enthusiasm. It was strange, being here in Kakashi's house. Something inside was still telling him that this was wrong, but he ignored that as best he could and forced himself back to sleep. 

~

When Tenzo woke to complete darkness, he knew something was wrong. Danzo  _ never _ allowed his room to be this dark. At the very least, the hall light  _ had  _ to stay on, and if he couldn't see  _ that,  _ then his door was shut when it wasn't supposed to be. 

"Shit!" He cursed loudly, trying to sit up. He cried out as his ribs and back protested the movement, and it was suddenly hard to breathe. 

"Tenzo? Are you alright?" A voice called out next to him. Tenzo flinched heavily when a hand landed on his shoulder, and he jumped up from the couch as fast as his broken body would let him. 

His eyes burned as the lights came on, illuminating Kakashi's living room. Tenzo took a deep breath, looking around and trying to calm himself down. _He wasn't with Danzo_ _anymore._

The brunette looked over to his right, seeing Kakashi on the other side of the couch, his arm half reaching out and a distressed look on his face. 

"I'm sorry I touched you, Tenzo. I just wanted to make sure you were alright. I promise I won't do it again." Kakashi apologized frantically. Tenzo was too freaked out to answer, his body shaking from a combination of pain and anxiety. He turned to his other side to see Sakumo, standing over by the light switch with concern written all over his face. 

"Are you alright?" He whispered softly. 

"Yeah." Tenzo answered quickly, wrapping his arms around his aching ribs. "I just… I guess I'm not used to sleeping in total darkness. I thought I was in trouble." 

"In trouble?" Kakashi asked, finally lowering his arm to his side. 

Tenzo ran a nervous hand through his hair. "For shutting my bedroom door."

Kakashi seemed to consider his answer for a moment. "Do you think it would help if you slept with the tv on?" 

Tenzo nodded slowly, attempting to sit back down. Sakumo was at his side in a heartbeat, grabbing his arm and helping to lower him down to the cushion. 

"I'm sorry I woke you up." Tenzo whispered, his face warming with a blush. Sakumo reached over and ruffled his hair as Kakashi turned the tv on. "Don't worry about it, Kiddo. I'm just glad you're okay." 

Tenzo smiled up at him before laying back down. Kakashi had turned some kid's movie on, and Sakumo shut the lights back off before going back to bed. 

"Kakashi?" Tenzo called, making an effort to look over at the boy. "I'm fine with you touching me. I just thought I was back in my room." 

Kakashi seemed to relax a bit, laying back down in the pile of blankets he had on the other half of the couch. 

"You don't have to sleep in here with me, you know." Tenzo said guiltily, knowing Kakashi probably had a perfectly comfortable bed in his room upstairs. Kakashi huffed a laugh. "There's  _ no way _ I'm going to sleep upstairs knowing you're down here by yourself." The teen laid his head down in the corner of the couch near Tenzo's, and reached over himself to pat the brunette's head. "Just consider yourself lucky Shisui isn't staying over tonight. He'd probably try to cuddle with you. I barely talked him into going home  _ at all _ ." 

Tenzo chuckled, reaching over himself to pat the silver hair in return. "Thanks for staying with me, Kakashi. I feel better knowing you're right here." 

Kakashi flashed him a maskless smile, then turned back to the tv. 

"So… what are we watching?" Tenzo asked curiously. Most of the channels Tenzo was allowed to watch had been terribly boring. Mostly sports channels, game shows and infomercials. Tenzo assumed it was because Danzo didn't want him to see anything about child molesters and such. Wouldn't want to give Tenzo any ideas about getting him in trouble, after all.

"It's called 'Shrek'. It's one of my favorites." Kakashi replied. 

Tenzo and Kakashi watched the entire movie before falling asleep, laughing and giggling throughout. 

~

Shisui was back over for breakfast the next morning, along with Kagami. They all piled on the couch to eat with Tenzo, who was having his first ever bowl of cereal. Every time he finished a bowl, Shisui would enthusiastically fill it with a new cereal for him to try. Sakumo made him stop after the fourth bowl, but Tenzo was thrilled with what he had tried so far. 

They were watching morning cartoons, something Tenzo had never taken part in before. Every few minutes, he would realize that his mouth was hanging open, and he looked like a little kid. And  _ every single time _ , someone was smiling knowingly at him when he closed it again. Tenzo blushed deeply, feeling a little ridiculous having to experience  _ so much  _ for the first time. Most of these things, people had tried before they were 5. 

Tenzo knew none of that was his fault, but that didn't stop him from feeling like a freak. 

Shisui got up to go to school, and Tenzo couldn't stop the automatic sound of protest he made. The other boy smiled down at him, leaning in to give him a strange kiss on the forehead. "Kakashi is staying home today. I get to stay home  _ tomorrow."  _ Shisui said with a smile. "Try not to miss me  _ too  _ much." 

Sakumo and Kagami were also getting ready to go. "When do I get to go back to school?" Tenzo asked quietly.

Sakumo leaned on the back of the couch. "I called your principal yesterday. They are going to be sending your schoolwork home with either Shisui or Kakashi each day. I'm sorry but I'll be keeping you home for a couple weeks to make sure you heal correctly. That's when your next appointment is, and they can make sure everything is going okay." 

Tenzo nodded slowly. "Okay. I understand." 

"Don't be too down about it, Tenzo. There will always be someone home with you. Plus, tomorrow I get to show you all of  _ my  _ favorite movies." Shisui said with a wink. 

Tenzo smiled, and waved goodbye to all of them as they left. 

Kakashi flopped down onto his half of the couch, a giant smile on his face and a large pile of DVDs in his arms. 

Kakashi and Tenzo watched movies and played card games all day... and it was the most fun Tenzo had ever had. Every time Kakashi would teach him something new, the silver haired boy would get so excited, smiling and waving his arms around as he explained things. Tenzo couldn't help but smile, even if watching Kakashi made his stomach flip around all funny. 

~

The next morning, Shisui showed up in his pajamas, and was carrying a large tub of ice cream. Shisui's pajamas were strange. It was a one-piece outfit that zipped up the front... that was also bright pink. Tenzo had never seen anything like it before, and couldn't help but gawk at it. 

"Hey! Don't you be judging my pajamas!" Shisui teased him. "All the girls think I'm  _ adorable  _ on pajama day at school." He explained as he plopped down next to Tenzo on the couch. Unlike Kakashi, Shisui had no regard for personal space, and sat right next to Tenzo. 

"So what are you going to make him watch?" Kakashi drawled from the side. 

Shisui smiled mischievously at him. "Oh don't worry… I have some ideas." 

Kakashi rolled his eyes. " _ No  _ Magic Mike." 

Shisui frowned. "Oh, come on! It's a good movie! You don't have to be  _ gay  _ to appreciate it!" He pouted, then smirked at the other boy. "What if I wait until after school? Then  _ you _ can watch it too."

"Why would  _ that  _ change my mind?" Kakashi said with a flat voice. 

Shisui giggled. "You  _ know  _ you like seeing Channing Tatum dance around with no clothes on." 

Kakashi was silent for a minute. "Fine." He growled out, and left the house in a huff while Shisui was laughing at him. 

Tenzo had sat silent through the whole conversation, but was very confused. Shisui met his gaze and snickered. "Magic Mike is a movie about male strippers." 

Tenzo's eyes shot up to his hairline and his face warmed with a blush. "Oh." 

"Kakashi doesn't really  _ advertise  _ it, but it's no secret that he likes boys." Shisui said as he dug through the pile of DVDs. 

"He does? How do you  _ know  _ if you like girls or boys?" Tenzo asked, and Shisui threw him a quick glance. 

"Well, if you get turned on watching Magic Mike later… you'll know." Shisui said with a snicker. Tenzo just rolled his eyes. 

While Kakashi had Tenzo watching movies like "Die Hard", "Remember the Titans", and "Gladiator", Shisui had Tenzo watching "The Lion King", "Frozen", and "High School Musical". Tenzo was starting to think that Shisui just watched movies so he could sing along. The other boy was standing on the couch singing a song from "Frozen" when Kakashi came home from school. 

Kakashi just shot him a flat look. "You know, if I hadn't  _ seen  _ the way you are with girls… I'd be questioning your sexuality right about now." 

Shisui laughed. "If I  _ was _ gay, we'd already be  _ dating _ ." 

Kakashi snorted as he set his stuff on the floor. "Yeah, right." 

"Are you ready to watch the movie?" Shisui asked with a smile, sitting back down on the couch like a normal person. 

Kakashi nodded. " _ One  _ movie. Then we gotta help Tenzo with his school work." 

They were halfway through "Magic Mike" when Sakumo and Kagami walked in the front door. Sakumo sighed loudly. " _ Why  _ are you always making people watch this movie, Shisui?" 

Shisui pouted. " _ Kakashi  _ likes it too!" 

Sakumo stood with his arms crossed. "Yeah, but he doesn't make  _ every single person  _ he knows watch it." 

"That's because he would rather watch it  _ all alone  _ with only his hand to keep him company." Shisui said with a smile. He yelped as his father gave him a light whack on the head with a magazine. "Watch your mouth, brat." Kagami said with a laugh. Tenzo giggled at the display, trying not to blush at the  _ insanely  _ inappropriate things playing on the television. 

"Shisui?" Kagami called from the kitchen, waiting to speak again until his son looked at him.  _ "No dancing."  _

Shisui rolled his eyes. "Fine." 

When the movie was finally over, Shisui turned to Tenzo immediately. "So Tenzo, did you find an answer to your question from this morning?" He asked with a smirk. Tenzo blushed immediately, but didn't answer. How could he possibly admit to his friends that he had…  _ felt things  _ while watching a movie with them? 

"What question?" Kakashi asked, one silver brow raised. 

Shisui smirked, and suddenly Tenzo couldn't look away from them. His friends were…  _ cute _ . He groaned internally.  _ Damn  _ Shisui for making him think about inappropriate things! Now he was doomed to become a typical horny teenager. 

"Dinner's ready!" Sakumo called from the kitchen, and Tenzo breathed a sigh of relief as the attention was taken off of him. Kakashi left quickly, but Shisui hung back for a second to throw a knowing wink in Tenzo's direction. The brunette turned and hid his blush in his pillow. 

~

Shisui ate dinner at the table with the parents, watching the back of Tenzo's head as he chatted with Kakashi on the couch. Tenzo had definitely  _ enjoyed  _ the movie. If he happened to be gay… it was hard to tell. The point Shisui took away from all of this was that Kakashi had a chance. 

Shisui had noticed immediately that Kakashi was smitten with Tenzo. The very first day of school, Kakashi had brought up random thoughts about the smaller boy throughout the day.  _ "Where do you think he moved from?" "Do you think he is our age?" "I wonder what his name is?"  _ Shisui would have to be blind and deaf not to notice  _ that _ . 

Tenzo had a rough life. What effect that would have on any future relationships, it was too early to tell. Of course, Shisui knew that Kakashi would be happy with whatever he was given… but Kakashi had a rough life too.  _ Surely  _ not as rough as the other's, but it wasn't a competition. After Rin had killed herself, Kakashi was afraid to lead anyone on. 

Rin had been a large source of Kakashi's pain in the past. She had been their friend, along with Obito, and he had allowed their relationship to progress somewhere between platonic and  _ not _ . Rin finally made a ballsy move, thinking that it was what Kakashi had wanted… only for him to inform her of his  _ super  _ gayness. She didn't take it well… and Kakashi had been the one to find her the next day. Obito never forgave him, and Kakashi folded in on himself. Both Shisui and kakashi knew that Rin had many other things going on in her life that weighed on her… but Kakashi still had blamed himself.

Shisui watched Kakashi carefully. He smiled so easily around Tenzo… and even Shisui could admit the smaller boy was absolutely adorable. He had the sort of large beautiful eyes that only were drawn on a Disney princess, and soft features that made him exceptionally appealing. Kakashi was certainly handsome as well. If Shisui had been able to get past the  _ he has a dick  _ thing, he might have dated Kakashi himself. But as it was, they would continue to stay weirdly-close friends til the end of time. 

Shisui knew he was a weird breed. He enjoyed skin contact, and romance. He was about as close as he could get to being bisexual… without actually being there. He just wasn't into dicks, and it was something he had made peace with long ago. He'd certainly had his moments where he had crossed the line into  _ strange _ with Kakashi… but the other boy understood. He knew Shisui meant nothing by it, and was just lost in the moment. 

Tenzo, on the other hand… he was afraid to lose control of himself with him. He wanted to cuddle, hug, and even  _ kiss  _ the other boy… but he knew that Tenzo was fragile,  _ regardless  _ of how he appeared, and he wouldn't allow himself to hurt or scare him. 

Maybe, he thought, as he watched the two giggling at something on tv, maybe Tenzo and Kakashi would be good for each other. Maybe they had a chance to have what Kakashi and Shisui just  _ couldn't _ .


	7. Chapter 7

The boys continued to take turns staying home with Tenzo, and on Shisui's second day, they were sitting on the couch doing homework together. School was already out, and Kakashi had jumped into the shower. 

Even with being at Kakashi's house for almost the entire week, Tenzo still felt weird. It was friday. Today was the day Danzo would normally be coming home. Shisui seemed to be picking up on his change in mood, and the fact that Tenzo kept looking at the clock non-stop. 

"Tenzo, is there anything I can do to help you relax?" Shisui asked quietly. Tenzo shook his head, but didn't speak. 

The front door swung open suddenly, and Obito strolled inside, glaring around the room until he spotted Shisui.  _ "There  _ you are, cousin. What the hell has you missing school so much?" 

His black eyes settled on Tenzo, and he gave a disapproving huff. "Oh.  _ You're  _ here. I figured you already moved away."

Shisui rolled his eyes. "Be  _ nice,  _ Obito. What do you want?" 

"I just noticed you keep missing school. You weren't at your house so I checked here. So what's happening? Does it have something to do with this kid?" Obito drawled, sounding put-upon even though he was the one butting his way into Shisui's business. 

"I don't see how that's any of your business." Kakashi drawled from the side. 

Obito bristled at the sight of Kakashi, but Tenzo couldn't help but smile. "Well,  _ Kakashi _ , I just want to make sure you haven't given my cousin some sort of  _ disease _ ." 

Shisui narrowed his eyes, and Tenzo was starting to feel like maybe he shouldn't be present for any of this. Obito apparently agreed, because he chose that moment to glare at Tenzo. "Maybe you should  _ leave _ , twerp, and give me a moment alone with my cousin."

Shisui rolled his eyes dramatically. "No… I don't think so. I don't really need the  _ Kakashi is just trying to turn you gay  _ speech. Maybe  _ you  _ should leave." 

"Besides,  _ Tenzo  _ is welcome here.  _ You _ are not." Kakashi spoke smoothly from the side, before moving to sit next to Tenzo on the couch. With one of them on either side of him, Tenzo felt himself relax a little. 

Obito rounded the front of the couch, arms crossed grumpily across his chest. "So what's the deal, cousin?" He asked, taking a measured look at Tenzo now that he was much closer. 

Tenzo knew he looked like a mess. He was pale, could barely move, and doing his homework on the couch in pajamas. Suddenly, he realized his sleeves were rolled up, and his wrists were exposed. Tenzo tried not to flinch and pull them down, knowing it would just draw Obito's attention. 

It was too late. Obito zoned in on his wrists with furrowed brows. Shisui stood immediately, brows furrowed angrily as he stared down his cousin. Despite Obito being older, Shisui was clearly taller and stronger, and he was  _ daring  _ Obito to say something to Tenzo. Obito met his fiery gaze, and for a moment, he saw fear in the older boy's black eyes. 

It didn't last long. Obito turned back to Tenzo. "Hey kid, did you get kidnapped or something? What's with the rope burn?" 

"Obito." Kakashi said warningly, and Tenzo sunk down into his seat. 

"What?" Obito said defensively to the other two. "I can't even ask the kid a question?" 

"No." Shisui answered strongly. "Get out." 

Obito huffed. "This is  _ Sakumo's  _ house, and if  _ he  _ wants to come kick me out,  _ then _ I'll go." He shot a glare at Kakashi, who flinched away from the look. "Now,  _ Tenzo _ , what the hell has you looking so  _ beat up? _ Can't even hold your own?" 

Shisui growled, moving quickly to silence Obito with a fist to the nose. The older boy was sent to the floor with a grunt. He scrambled up quickly, holding his bleeding face. "What the  _ fuck _ , Shisui! Some cousin  _ you  _ are!" He shouted angrily before storming out the door, passing Sakumo and Kagami as he went. Apparently, he didn't want to talk to  _ them  _ either, and just stormed past. 

Tenzo sat there in shock, his jaw dropped as Kakashi moved to calm Shisui down. Tenzo rolled down his sleeves self-consciously, and folded his arms into himself protectively. 

"Alright, which one of you punched Obito in the face?" Sakumo asked sternly behind them. 

"I did." Shisui spoke through gritted teeth, stretching his fingers out slowly on his right hand. 

"What happened?" Kagami asked quietly.

"He was harassing Tenzo." Kakashi answered vaguely, moving to sit back on the couch with the smaller boy. He wrapped an arm around Tenzo's shoulders and pulled him into his side. Tenzo went willingly, collapsing into the embrace. He realized he was shaking, and made a conscious effort to try to relax. He wasn't sure what it was about Obito that made him so uncomfortable. He had dealt with  _ plenty  _ of bullies in the past… but the older boy just  _ got to him _ . Something had the older kid focused on him, and he had no idea what he had done to merit that kind of negative attention. 

"Well… as long as you think he deserved it." Sakumo said with a shrug. 

Kagami sighed softly. "I'll call his grandmother and inform her that he isn't welcome here anymore." He said before going outside. 

Kakashi laid his head down on top of Tenzo's, and he felt himself physically relax. He pulled his arms away from his chest and wrapped himself around Kakashi's middle, hoping he wasn't crossing any lines. He really didn't know what you were allowed to do with friends, so he just kinda winged it. 

Kakashi didn't mind, and seemingly melted into Tenzo as well. "I'm sorry, Tenzo. I've never really been good at standing up to Obito." Kakashi whispered, and Tenzo realized that maybe the hug was for  _ him  _ too. Kakashi seemed upset, and all Tenzo wanted to do was make him feel better. 

Tenzo shifted around (easier said than done with his injuries) and pulled Kakashi's head to his chest. "It's okay. We can learn to stand up to him,  _ together _ ." 

Kakashi's hands gently wound around Tenzo's stomach, making a careful effort not to squeeze. "Okay." He replied. 

It felt nice to be held like this, and Kakashi was  _ so  _ warm. Tenzo decided to make a serious effort to hug people more. 

"Are you boys okay?" Sakumo asked gently. Kakashi nodded, popping his head away from Tenzo's chest. Sakumo gestured with his head towards the door, and Kakashi removed himself from Tenzo's grip to follow his dad outside. Tenzo felt a little guilty, and hoped that Kakashi wasn't in trouble. 

Shisui plopped down on the couch next to him. "It's okay. He's not in any trouble. Sakumo just wants to make sure he's okay. Kakashi has a lot of  _ issues  _ when it comes to Obito." 

Tenzo nodded, leaning towards Shisui to hopefully get another hug. The other boy chuckled, and wrapped himself around the brunette quickly. 

He decided that hugs would become addicting rather quickly, but he could probably live with that. 

"Shisui?" Tenzo asked softly. 

"Mm?" Shisui mumbled into his hair. 

"Is this alright? I don't really know what I'm supposed to do with friends." Tenzo asked sheepishly. He felt a bit embarrassed… perhaps he should have asked this question sooner. 

Shisui chuckled. "If it's the first time, you should probably ask people. I don't think your social skills are good enough to read body language to guess. Most friends hug with no problem.  _ Some  _ friends even like to do more. That just depends on your relationship. That's something you need to decide with them when the time comes." He said with a smile, pulling away enough to meet Tenzo's eyes. "Do you  _ like  _ hugs?" 

Tenzo blushed. "It feels nice. It's like… like someone cares about me. I'm not used to being touched like that."

Shisui's smile dampened a bit, and he placed a hand on Tenzo's jaw. "Well, you can hug me and Kakashi anytime you want. I'd enjoy that a lot, actually." 

"Me too." Kakashi suddenly spoke from behind the couch. Tenzo jumped, but recovered nicely even after jostling his ribs a bit. He smiled up at his friend, then settled back on the couch to continue with his homework. 

After all of their homework was finished and dinner was over with, everyone piled onto the couch to watch a movie. Everyone had distracted him so well, it was already 7:30 by the time he looked at the clock again. By this point, he would already be waiting in his room for his punishment. With Shisui and Kakashi sitting so close to him, he hadn't noticed. 

A light hand on his shoulder pulled him from his thoughts, and he realized he had been staring at the clock for a few minutes. 

Kakashi smiled gently at him when he faced him, and Tenzo had to force himself to smile back. It was  _ real _ . He wasn't going back to that place ever again. Finally, it was hitting him. 

He didn't get much warning before his eyes misted over and spilled tears down his cheeks. 

Kakashi gently pulled Tenzo into his chest. He hugged him tight around the shoulders, and Tenzo gripped on to the front of his shirt. He felt Shisui leaning softly against his back, and the sobbing started. Tenzo hadn't cried this hard in a long time, and his lungs were having trouble with it. 

"It's okay, Tenzo." Kakashi said with a shaky voice. "I've got you." 

Tenzo finally managed to gain control of himself, and watched the last bit of the movie in Kakashi's arms. When the credits started rolling, Kakashi pulled away a little bit to look down at him. "Do you feel better?" 

Tenzo nodded, and Kakashi smiled down at him. 

~

Tenzo woke again in the middle of the night. He vaguely recalled Shisui talking them into one more movie, but felt like he probably fell asleep fairly early on. He shifted a little, only to notice that his pillow was  _ really  _ warm. 

Tenzo lifted his head to see that he was currently using Shisui as a pillow. The teen was leaning on the armrest, dead asleep, and Tenzo was leaning on his side. Shisui's arm was over his shoulder, and Tenzo decided that was as good an excuse as any not to move. His back would probably not be happy in the morning, but at this point he didn't really care. He laid his head back down, snuggling into Shisui's side, and fell back asleep. 

~

Tenzo woke to the sound of knocking on the door. He lifted his head off of Shisui just enough to see the clock. It was 6 in the morning. Kakashi grumbled from where he had apparently been using Tenzo's legs as a pillow, and forced himself to stand. 

"It's probably Gai." Shisui mumbled, reaching his hand up to stifle a yawn. 

"I can't think of anyone else crazy enough to stop by someone's house at this hour." Kakashi replied sleepily, rubbing his eyes as he crossed over to the door. 

Shisui hadn't started to move, so Tenzo stayed where he was at. He was curious who was at the door, but he was also  _ sooo  _ comfortable. 

"Good morning, Rival!" Gai bellowed too loudly into the house. Kakashi just grunted, and Tenzo heard the door shut as he let Gai into the house. The older boy crossed in front of the couch, stopping as soon as he saw Tenzo and Shisui laying together. His huge eyebrows rose as he looked between the two. 

"See something that interests you, big boy?" Shisui drawled out, and Gai blushed before moving to the other end of the couch. Tenzo huffed a silent laugh as he scuttled away nervously. 

"What do you want, Gai?" Kakashi asked, apparently too tired to humor his friend. 

"Ah. I was just checking in on you! I've noticed you have been missing a lot of school lately." Gai answered proudly. 

Kakashi sighed loudly.  _ "Why  _ is everyone suddenly so interested in our absences?" 

Tenzo sat up slowly, pushing himself off of Shisui's side as carefully as he could. Shisui sat up and stretched too, making a strange squeaking noise as he went. 

Gai finally looked to him again. "It's Tenzo, right?" He asked, and Tenzo nodded as he rubbed his eyes. 

"I suppose I haven't seen  _ you _ at school either. Have you taken ill?" Gai asked, genuine concern flashing through his eyes. Tenzo had hardly been around the guy so he was caught off guard by it all. 

"Uh… n-no. I hurt my back and ribs, and they've been taking turns staying with me while I recover." Tenzo answered quietly. 

Gai smiled. "What marvelous friends!" He yelled, and Tenzo was a bit surprised (and relieved) he didn't ask for any details. 

"Gai. Keep your voice down." Kakashi scolded him. "My dad deserves to sleep in on his day off." 

"Too late." Sakumo spoke softly, entering the room with his hair in a funny looking mess on his head. "Good morning, Gai." He said, and Tenzo could tell by his tone that this was  _ far  _ from his first time being woken by Gai. Sakumo walked up to the back of the couch, and ruffled all of their hair in turns. Kakashi pulled away grumpily, but Tenzo was more than happy to be included, and leaned in. 

"Morning, kids." Sakumo said with a yawn, before retreating back to his room. 

"I was also wondering if you wanted to join us for a little football game at the school?" Gai announced loudly. 

"Depends on who  _ us  _ is." Kakashi drawled slowly. 

"Let's see… Genma, Asuma, Izumo, Kotetsu, Iruka, and some freshmen I think." Gai listed slowly. 

_ "Not  _ Obito?" Shisui asked. 

"Not that I know of." Gai responded quickly. 

"Hey, dad?" Kakashi called out. Sakumo wandered back into the room. "Yeah?"

"Is it alright if we bring Tenzo to the school? We're gonna join Gai for some football and I thought it'd be nice if he was able to get out of the house." Kakashi asked. 

Sakumo raised an eyebrow as he thought for a moment. Gai shifted awkwardly on the couch, clearly confused about Kakashi's dad making decisions about Tenzo.

Shisui spoke first. "Tenzo is a beautiful flower and he needs some sunlight before he starts to wilt!" 

Sakumo rolled his eyes and slapped a hand over his face. "Don't be so  _ dramatic _ , Shisui. Just make sure he wears his brace when you guys are walking around, okay?" 

Kakashi turned to Gai. "Did you drive here?" Gai answered with just a nod. 

"Does he need to wear the brace if we drive?" Kakashi asked his father. 

"I guess not." Sakumo replied with a resigned sigh. 

~

Tenzo finally got a chance to wear some of his new clothes (besides his pajamas), and he was pretty excited to be going somewhere. It suddenly struck him that this was the first time in at least a decade he would be going somewhere that  _ wasn't  _ school. 

He was wearing a blue t-shirt and jeans. It was simple, but it was still the nicest clothes he had ever owned. Kakashi and Sakumo did a great job judging his size, and both were quick to complement the new clothes. He felt good, and for once, he felt like he didn't  _ look  _ emaciated. 

The ride was quick, and Kakashi helped Tenzo out of the back seat. Immediately, Tenzo was nervous. There were a lot of people there he didn't really know. 

They walked up slowly, and Tenzo felt several sets of eyes on him. 

"Hey guys." The one Tenzo knew to be Asuma called out. 

"Who's this?" One of the guys asked as he gestured to Tenzo. He had long brown hair hanging out from under a beanie, and he had a toothpick in his mouth. 

Shisui wrapped an arm around Tenzo's shoulder. "This is my good pal Tenzo." He said excitedly, placing an exaggerated kiss to his cheek. Tenzo blushed, wrinkling his nose and wiping the slobber off of his face. 

"Tenzo, this is Genma, Raidou, Izumo, Iruka, Kotetsu, Asuma, Kurenai, Hana, and Anko." Kakashi drawled, moving from left to right in the crowd. 

Some of them waved, some of them said "hey", and some simply nodded. Tenzo blushed, and only managed a quiet "hey" in return. 

"Alright! Let's do the usual." Genma shouted. "Kakashi and Asuma are captains, everyone line up." 

Tenzo moved to the side, and Shisui helped him lover himself to the ground. 

"You're not going to play?" Asuma asked loudly, drawing everyone's attention straight to Tenzo. 

"I c-can't." He replied quickly. 

"Why not?" Genma asked, raising an eyebrow. "Too chicken?" 

"His back and ribs are broken." Kakashi said pointedly, glaring at Genma. 

"What? How are you even  _ walking around?  _ That has to hurt." Asuma commented. 

"He's on pain meds." Shisui commented with a shrug. 

"Well… you can be a line judge then." Genma said with a smile, and moved towards Tenzo to explain how to do it. Once that was done, they started playing. Even the girls were playing, and Tenzo enjoyed watching. The sun felt nice on his face, and sometimes he just closed his eyes and enjoyed it. He felt  _ free _ . He felt  _ normal.  _

The first time he had to play judge, he got to approve Shisui's touchdown. 

"Yay! I'm so happy I could  _ kiss you _ , Tenzo!" Shisui yelled out. "Actually…" He said before heading over to Tenzo. He slid on the grass in front of him, put both hands on either side of his face, and placed a long sloppy kiss on his forehead. 

Tenzo blushed, the girls giggled, and some of the guys laughed. Tenzo wiped his forehead violently. "Shisuiii." Tenzo whined. "Do you  _ have _ to slobber  _ so much?" _

Shisui laughed heartily at that. "Sorry Tenzo. I just can't look at you without drooling." He said with a wink, and Tenzo felt like he had to be as red as a tomato. 

When they were done for the day, Kakashi had his hands under Tenzo's arms, and lifted him to his feet carefully. They said their goodbyes, and they all piled back into Gai's car.

On the way back, Gai and Kakashi talked in the front seat. Tenzo had a feeling that Gai was trying to speak too quietly for Tenzo to hear… but Gai was a terrible whisperer. 

"So… is Tenzo staying at  _ your _ house?" Gai asked quietly. Kakashi nodded. "Yep." 

"How long has that been going on?" 

"Just this week." Kakashi answered. 

"Is it  _ permanent _ ?" Gai asked with one bushy eyebrow raised. 

"Yeah. Once he can go upstairs safely, he is taking over the bedroom next to mine." Kakashi said with a smile. 

"So why is he staying with you?" Gai asked, and Tenzo felt his anxiety rising. People were bound to find out eventually. It was a small town, and once Danzo went to trial, everyone would be on the hunt to find out what happened. But for now, he hoped Kakashi wouldn't say too much. 

"Maa… his house just wasn't a nice place, is all. He is much better off living with us. We can take care of him much better." Kakashi answered smoothly. He turned his head to the side a little, giving Tenzo a wink and a smile. Shisui snaked a hand through his, showing  _ his  _ support as well, and Tenzo couldn't help but smile. 

It was a good answer. One that gave enough information that any normal person wouldn't pry. Maybe he would have to remember that for the future. 

"So do you like living with him?" Gai asked. It seemed pretty bold to ask something like that with Tenzo sitting right behind them, but Gai apparently thought he was still whispering. 

"Of course I do. He's a lot of fun to be around." Kakashi said as they pulled into the driveway. 

"Alright. Come on, Handsome." Shisui said as he helped pull Tenzo to a standing position. They thanked Gai for the ride, and waved their goodbyes. Tenzo felt amazing after spending some time outside. Shisui had been right… he needed some fresh air. 

~

When the end of the second week  _ finally  _ came around, the doctor informed them that his injuries were indeed on the right track. The doctor recommended letting him get back to school, but suggested he wear the brace for his back since he would be standing and sitting down a lot. 

Tenzo was thrilled. As much as he loved spending all day at home with his friends, he wanted to get out of the house some more. He wanted to feel a little less  _ useless.  _ The best part about it was that he could wear whatever he wanted. The wounds on his wrists were gone, so he could wear t-shirts whenever he wanted. He no longer had to worry about what injuries would show. 

For his first day back, Tenzo decided to wear a black button-up polo shirt that Sakumo had picked for him. He felt like he was finally filling out, and he  _ might  _ not be the smallest person in the school anymore. Though at one point he was worried, and had to ask a frowning Kakashi if he was fat, but he was happy with the new look. (Kakashi assured him he just wasn't used to looking healthy.) 

It was fairly obvious when they were walking through the halls that the news had spread about his injuries. People gave him a wide berth when he walked around, and it was probably made obvious when Shisui and Kakashi were constantly helping him in and out of a seated position. He also knew that his back brace was visible through his shirt (Sakumo had thankfully told him to wear an undershirt beneath it), but he still felt much better to be back at school. 

The teachers were nice and understanding, people gave him time to walk through doorways before crowding through, and no one attempted to pick on him with his friends by his side. During the last half of the day, Tenzo had even become aware of the fact that there just  _ happened  _ to be three open seats right in front of each of his classes. People were being  _ so  _ nice to him, and he didn't get it. 

"Are people being nice to me just because I'm injured? I thought they didn't like me because I'm not related to everyone." Tenzo finally asked Kakashi during 7th period health class. 

The other teen sighed softly. "I'm not gonna lie to you, Tenzo. I think that our popularity is having a bit to do with that. Especially Shisui's. The people here would do  _ anything  _ for him… and that goes for his friends as well." 

Tenzo smiled. It didn't matter if they were doing it for Shisui or not. He was just thankful for it. 

Before the final bell rang, the health teacher stood in front of the class. "Don't forget! You can buy tickets to homecoming in the office. You will be able to buy them on Saturday, but don't wait until the last minute!" 

Tenzo raised an eyebrow, and shot a questioning look at Shisui. The other boy chuckled. "I'll tell you about it in the car." 

Gai had offered to give them a ride home. Tenzo was thrilled. His legs were tired, and his back and ribs were a bit sore after his first day back. He was excited to be returning to the couch for a while. 

"So no one ever told you about Homecoming?" Shisui asked as Tenzo watched the city pass by through the window. He turned to his friend and shook his head. 

"Homecoming is a dance. You go to the school after hours, and they have it all decorated and stuff. They play music and turn the lights down so you can dance with all the  _ ladies _ ." Shisui said with a smile. Kakashi looked back from the front seat and Shisui rolled his eyes. " _ Or  _ the boys. You can dance with whoever you want. Or, you can dance with nobody. You can just hang out and talk." 

"Are you going?" Tenzo asked curiously. 

Kakashi snorted from the front seat. "Shisui wouldn't miss Homecoming if the school was  _ on fire. _ He wouldn't get to dance with all the girls." 

"Would you like to go with us?" Shisui asked, tilting his head a bit. 

Tenzo nodded. "How much does it cost? I don't really have any money." 

"You don't have to worry about that. We'll get you a ticket." Shisui said with a smile as they pulled into the driveway. 

"We could watch "Grease". It has a school dance in it." Kakashi drawled from the front seat. Shisui's smile widened drastically.

Kakashi turned back to face Shisui, regret in his eyes immediately. " _ Or _ we could watch 'Napoleon Dynamite'. It has a dance also." 

"Nope! Too late! You can't take it back now." Shisui said with a smile. Kakashi rolled his eyes and helped Tenzo out of the car. 


	8. Chapter 8

After watching the movie, Tenzo had a decent idea of what would be happening at the dance. (Without the musical numbers, apparently.) 

"We can talk to my dad about getting something to wear. They don't work tomorrow... so maybe then." Kakashi spoke softly. 

"Plus, they're chaperoning again, so they will want us to look awesome." Shisui replied happily. 

"Chaperoning?" Tenzo asked curiously.

Kakashi chuckled. "Our class  _ always  _ asks our dads to chaperone. The school lets them handle the dance entirely since they are police officers. The class asks them back every time because they basically let us do whatever we want as long as it's legal. They don't make us dance four inches apart or play only appropriate music and stuff."

"It's awesome!" Shisui said brightly. "I make a playlist with all of my favorite music, and I get to dance and kiss everyone." 

~

Kakashi was accurate in his assumption that they would go shopping the next day. Sakumo and Kagami picked them up directly from school and took them to a clothing store Tenzo had never been to. Shisui immediately picked out a pink button-up shirt, black tie, and black pants. Kakashi went with a black shirt and pants, choosing to only add silver with his tie. 

Shisui picked out a green button-up shirt with long sleeves for Tenzo, black pants and a black tie, and shuttled him over to the changing rooms. 

"Can I help you change? The fitting rooms are kind of small. You won't have a lot of room to maneuver with your injuries." Shisui offered, and Tenzo accepted immediately. They had already seen him naked... there was no point in being modest now.

Shisui followed him into one of the changing rooms after explaining to the woman working the counter the extent of Tenzo's injuries. "Alright. Pants first." Shisui said, leaning down to untie his shoes. Tenzo undid his own pants after his shoes were off, and Shisui helped slide them off his feet. He pulled the black pants up enough for Tenzo to reach them, then hummed in thought. He turned around and peeked out the door. "Dad!" He called out, and Tenzo could barely hear Kagami answer. "We need a black belt for Tenzo." He said, a bit quieter. While they waited for the belt, Shisui helped Tenzo get his shirt off. He still had help getting dressed before school, but somehow this felt more…  _ intimate.  _ Tenzo couldn't think about anything other than how close the other boy was, and how nice his green apple shampoo smelled.

Shisui smiled at him. "Is this okay, Tenzo? I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"This is fine." Tenzo answered breathily. Shisui seemed to pick up on the change, and slowly placed a hand to his ribs. "You look a lot healthier now." Shisui mused softly, and Tenzo just watched him as Shisui's hand slowly moved over his skin. 

The knock on the door made them both jump, and knocked Tenzo out of whatever spell he was under. Shisui opened the door and accepted the belt. Tenzo's eyes went to the item immediately. The sight of Shisui holding it brought forth some less than pleasant memories. He swallowed nervously, another thing Shisui didn't miss. 

"Uh… would you like to do this part yourself? I don't want to upset you." Shisui asked softly, holding the belt out slowly for Tenzo. 

"N-no." Tenzo answered in a whisper. "I want you to do it." He wanted to test himself, to push himself into something uncomfortable and come out on top. Shisui nodded, but still seemed hesitant. Tenzo felt his heartbeat pick up as Shisui inched closer, moving with his whole body instead of his hands. The other boy smiled mischievously, stepping forward until their noses almost touched. Tenzo forgot about the belt completely, his eyes locked onto Shisui's as the teen gave him a slow kiss on his nose, and then another one on each of his cheeks. 

Tenzo blushed deeply, and the other boy stepped back. Tenzo looked down. Shisui had already snuck the belt through every loop in his pants. He huffed a laugh. "Thanks, Shisui." 

"Mhm. Anytime. Now let's get that shirt on." Shisui said with a smile. Tenzo got his own buttons, then paused. 

"Do you know how to tuck in your shirt?" Shisui asked with a raised eyebrow. Tenzo blushed just at the thought of Shisui tucking in his shirt. "Y-yes. I just wasn't sure if I was supposed to." He answered as he carefully pushed the shirt down into his pants. Shisui put the tie on him, and opened the door. 

Tenzo walked out, and Sakumo and Kagami raised their eyebrows. Shisui went and stood beside them to admire his handiwork. He whistled loudly. " _ Damn _ , Tenzo. You look fantastic." He exclaimed with a smile. Kagami and Sakumo both nodded their agreement.

A door opened behind him and Kakashi stepped out, straightening his tie as he walked. His eyes widened at the sight of Tenzo, and Tenzo did the same. Kakashi looked absolutely  _ stunning  _ when he dressed up. Without his mask on, Tenzo could hardly take his eyes off of him. "You look really nice, Kakashi." Tenzo said with a blush. Kakashi's face flushed red immediately, and it was adorable. 

"Wow. Both of you look drop-dead  _ sexy _ ." Shisui announced, and Kagami face-palmed a little. 

Back in the dressing room, Shisui was helping him get out of the clothes. "I mean it, Tenzo. I'm not just trying to be nice. You really  _ do _ look good." 

Tenzo smiled. "Thanks, Shisui."

" _ So _ … Kakashi sure looked kissable, didn't he?" Shisui said with a laugh, and Tenzo blushed so hard he thought he might pass out. 

~

The night of the dance came quickly, and each of the boys were getting dressed separately. Sakumo helped Tenzo change, and Kakashi was glad that Tenzo was able to have that kind of contact with other people. When they first found out about the smaller boy's situation, Kakashi thought he would be so far damaged that a breath in his direction would have him running away. So far, it was really only the belt situation Shisui had told him about. Tenzo seemed to be able to easily separate Danzo's actions from those of others.

Kakashi buttoned up his shirt, fixing his tie carefully around his neck, and took a deep breath. He really hated going out without his mask. He had been wearing the damn thing for so long now that he wasn't really sure why he bothered anymore. Girls wouldn't leave him alone regardless.

Kakashi steeled himself and went back downstairs. Tenzo was already ready, and he looked absolutely fantastic. The teen was filling out nicely, and even gaining some muscle where he had practically been skin and bones. Kakashi couldn't help but admire the transition. He knew that he had a crush on Tenzo. It was obvious. Shisui, that observant bastard, had picked up on it almost immediately. And now, they were standing downstairs together waiting for Shisui to finish up with his hair. 

The young Uchiha stepped out of his room finally, his bright pink shirt doing wonders with his eyes, and Kakashi couldn't help the way his breath caught. It was  _ very  _ obvious why all the girls liked him. He was gorgeous, and he  _ knew it _ . The other boy winked at Kakashi, and he found himself once again wishing Shisui had been able to be with another man. Sure, Kakashi  _ loved _ having Shisui as a friend. You couldn't possibly find a better friend than him. But there was another part of him that would always wish Shisui had been gay. 

Tenzo seemed to be having the same reaction, and Kakashi smiled a bit. He knew what it was like to get caught up in Shisui's orbit, and wondered if Tenzo harbored any feelings for  _ him  _ as well. He shook those thoughts out of his head. It was much too soon to even be  _ wondering  _ how far Tenzo's attraction to men could go, and Kakashi felt terrible enough just having a crush on him. 

They all piled into the car and made their way to the school. They would be some of the first people there since their parents were chaperoning and Shisui had the music playlist. 

As soon as they were inside, the girls on the decorating team were squealing excitedly. Kakashi rolled his eyes, but Shisui soaked it up like a sponge. They crowded around, complementing each of them (even Tenzo) and giggling at his father. A lot of the girls had a crush on his dad. It was annoying, but at the same time, it made it to where they invited them back to chaperone and they didn't get stuck with stuck-up teachers. 

If they were better watched, Shisui wouldn't be able to run around getting sweaty and dancing his ass off with all the girls. Kakashi enjoyed watching it, but that was because he knew eventually Shisui would come ask him to dance too. Shisui might not  _ really  _ be gay, but he sure  _ danced _ like he wanted to strip Kakashi down to nothing. 

The dance was already going strong when Kakashi brought Tenzo some punch, and they sat and watched Shisui move from girl to girl, kissing and dancing real close, running his hands all over them. 

"Is Shisui a slut?" Tenzo asked curiously, and Kakashi had to try really hard not to spit his drink out. Tenzo had asked what a slut was while they were watching "Mean Girls" earlier in the week, and Kakashi hadn't even  _ thought _ to explain the enigma that was Shisui. 

"Well… he calls  _ himself  _ a slut. But I don't really consider him one." Kakashi replied. 

"But you said a slut is someone who sleeps with a lot of people?" Tenzo asked, tilting his head in confusion. 

"Yeah. I did. But Shisui doesn't fall into that category. He has never slept with anyone. He doesn't  _ want  _ to sleep with anyone. At least not yet." Kakashi answered, watching as Shisui made out with Anko on the dancefloor. 

"He doesn't?" The brunette asked. 

"No. He wants the person he sleeps with to be special. Someone he is in love with." Kakashi answered with a shrug. "Shisui… he just likes the romance. The  _ heat  _ of it all, you know? The passion. But the girls around here know he doesn't want sex, so they indulge him a bit I think." 

"How do they know that?" Tenzo asked, wrinkling his nose. 

"Well… it was last year that solidified that, really. Anko tried to get him to sleep with her. She was naked in his room, actually, and he still told her no." Kakashi answered. He flicked his eyes over to their parents, who watched the dancefloor to make sure everyone was being safe. Kagami was very pointedly avoiding looking in Shisui's direction. Shisui had always been very open with his father about his strange feelings, and had actually been the one to inspire Kakashi to tell Sakumo that he was gay. His father was always extra supportive, even after the first time Kakashi and Shisui had been caught making out. 

Watching Shisui dance was an experience in itself. His music playlist (which Kakashi would  _ swear  _ was 30% "Usher") had basically turned the dance into a rave, and nobody was really bothered by it simply because it was  _ Shisui _ . The guy's charisma and energy lit up the room, and drew people to him like magnets. 

Kakashi smiled at Tenzo's confusion when Shisui started kissing Izumo. Kotetsu and Izumo had been dating for a while, but they were both more than willing to give Shisui some attention too. They were the only other openly gay boys in their high school, and sometimes Kakashi felt a smidge jealous when they were around. 

"So… Shisui likes boys too?" Tenzo asked quietly. 

Kakashi wasn't sure how to answer that. "Well… Shisui likes to  _ kiss  _ and  _ touch  _ other boys… but he wouldn't ever be able to have a relationship with one. He isn't interested in the  _ lower part  _ of the male anatomy. He would pretty much kiss anyone, really. He'd kiss  _ you  _ if you wanted." Kakashi said with a smile, watching the red tint on Tenzo's cheeks grow as Shisui walked up. 

~

Tenzo was having a great time. Quite a few people had actually stopped to say "hi" to him, and more than one girl had tried to get him to dance, but mostly he was enjoying his time with Kakashi. Shisui bounded up and grabbed some punch. 

"Maa, are you already tired of making out with people?" Kakashi drawled, a happy smirk on his face. 

"Nope." Shisui said with a smile. "I won't be tired of it until I've kissed every teenager in this building." 

Tenzo's eyes widened. Did that include him? Did he want that? Tenzo had never been kissed before. Maybe having Shisui as his first would be nice, Tenzo thought silently. 

Shisui finished his punch and threw the cup away. The raven-haired teenager then turned to Kakashi. "I guess that makes it  _ your  _ turn now." 

Kakashi accepted Shisui into his arms with a practiced ease that surprised Tenzo. How often had they been kissing like this? Tenzo looked away for a moment, briefly making eye contact with Sakumo and Kagami. They seemed a bit flustered, and Tenzo had to imagine it was because their teenage boys were currently making out and feeling each other up. Shisui had his hands on Kakashi's ass, and the latter had his pale hands up in Shisui's hair. It looked intense, and Tenzo couldn't help but want that. He wanted  _ that  _ kind of attention. Not the rough, painful attention he had received from Danzo. He wanted actual  _ affection. _

Shisui stopped long enough to say hello to Tenzo before turning to head back to the dancefloor. Tenzo's heart dropped down into his stomach. Did Shisui  _ not want  _ to kiss him? Maybe he was worried about upsetting Tenzo. 

_ He'd kiss you if you wanted.  _ That's what Kakashi had said. 

A final decision was made, and Tenzo reached out to snag Shisui's arm before he could leave. The boy turned to look at him, concern in his eyes. Tenzo blushed immediately, suddenly losing all of his courage. "I… um…" was all he managed. He saw Sakumo and Kagami watching their interaction over Shisui's shoulder. Were they worried too? 

Shisui stepped closer, and pulled Tenzo in for a hug. With his head on Shisui's shoulder, the other boy whispered into his ear. "Tenzo… you don't have to do this. I don't want to pressure you into something you aren't ready for." 

Shisui was clearly concerned for Tenzo's well being, but what he heard was  _ I don't want to be like Danzo.  _

He couldn't just up and say  _ Danzo never kissed me, so you're fine _ . Could he? Shisui went to pull away and leave, but Tenzo kept his arms around the other boy's shoulders. Shisui stiffened, not running away, but not moving closer. 

"I've uh… I've never been kissed before." Tenzo said softly, knowing that Shisui would understand. The boy's shoulders softened and his worry stretched into a smile instead. 

"Alright. Well… we should change that." Shisui spoke softly as he leaned in. Tenzo's breath caught as Shisui's soft lips met his, and he melted immediately. Shisui wound his hands through Tenzo's hair, and pulled away a little bit. He was still close enough that Tenzo could feel his warm breath. 

One side of Shisui's smile lifted into an adorable smirk, and Tenzo knew he was standing there like a deer caught in the headlights. 

"If you wanted, we could  _ totally _ practice that sometimes at home." Shisui said with a chuckle, and all Tenzo could do was nod. With one hand lingering on the side of Tenzo's face, Shisui turned back to the dancefloor again. 

Tenzo watched him leave, his eyes lingering on those broad shoulders wrapped in pink. 

Kakashi's warm hand on his shoulder snapped him out of his trance, and he turned to see a knowing smile on his friend's face. "Was it everything you thought it would be?" Kakashi asked softly, tilting his head sideways curiously. Tenzo nodded, a wide smile crossing his face that he couldn't quite get to go away. 

Kakashi's dark eyes flicked over Tenzo's shoulder, and the other teen stiffened up. 

"Kakashi? Could I speak with you for a minute?" Sakumo asked quietly. Kakashi followed him dutifully, and Tenzo was suddenly worried he might have gotten Shisui in trouble. 

He followed them with his eyes, and saw that Kagami had pulled Shisui to the same area. Tenzo's legs were moving before he knew it, carrying him towards the group. 

"But he  _ asked  _ me to." Shisui was saying quietly as Tenzo walked up. They all looked to him immediately. 

"Sakumo? Kagami? Please don't be mad at Shisui. I asked him to do that. I had never done it before and I was curious. I'm sorry. It's all my fault." Tenzo apologized quickly, and didn't stop rambling until Sakumo placed a hand on his shoulder. 

"It's okay, Tenzo. You're not in trouble, and neither is Shisui. As long as you know that you never  _ have  _ to do anything like that, it's fine." He said with a small smile. 

Tenzo nodded. "I understand."

"Now, all of you go enjoy your dance." Kagami said happily. The adults turned to move back to their posts, and Tenzo followed his friends back to the side of the gym. 

Shisui thanked Tenzo before going back to dancing, and the other two decided to sit for a while. Kakashi smiled brightly at him, and his stomach did another flip. Kissing Shisui was fun, but Tenzo wanted to know what it would be like to kiss Kakashi. His lips looked so soft. 

"Kakashi?" He found himself asking suddenly. 

"Mmm?" 

"What does it mean if you look at someone, and your stomach feels like it's flipping upside down?" Tenzo asked nervously. 

"Is it a  _ good  _ feeling? Like butterflies floating around in your stomach?" Kakashi asked patiently. Tenzo nodded, and Kakashi turned to watch Shisui some more. "It means that you like them. Romantically. Are you talking about Shisui?" 

"No. Well... it  _ does  _ happen for Shisui too, but I was actually talking about someone else." Tenzo said, staring down at his hands nervously. "I was talking about  _ you _ ." 

Kakashi turned back to him quickly, his eyebrows raised up past his silver hair. "You like me?" 

Tenzo couldn't look up to meet his eyes. He was insanely embarrassed. Was he supposed to tell Kakashi something like that? 

A warm hand clasped over his. "Hey. It's okay to like someone, Tenzo. It's perfectly natural. Besides, I like you too." 

Tenzo finally made himself look up to meet Kakashi's dark eyes. "Y-you do?" 

Kakashi nodded. "Yeah, but I don't think we need to rush into anything. Just know that I like you too, and I'll always be here to help you." He said with a smile. 

The rest of the dance went by quickly, with Shisui dragging Kakashi out onto the dancefloor twice. Tenzo would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy watching them dance. He was too embarrassed to go out there himself, but he still had a really great time. 

He was exhausted when they finally made it home. He hadn't had this much excitement in his  _ entire life _ , and it was already past midnight. 

Shisui walked in and started shedding clothes. "Dad, I think I'm just gonna crash here." He was down to his boxers in no time, and plopped down onto the couch face first. 

"Shisui, if you're gonna sleep without clothes on, you need to go upstairs." Sakumo said with an eyeroll. "I don't want to walk out here in the morning and see you in your underwear." 

Shisui mumbled something into the couch, but Tenzo didn't hear it. Kakashi leaned down and hooked an arm under Shisui's. "Come on, lazy-ass. Let's go upstairs." 

Tenzo was a bit saddened by the statement. The entire time he had been staying here, he hadn't slept alone. Sakumo must've noticed as he was helping him change into pajamas. 

"Go ahead, Tenzo. Just please go slow up the stairs. There's no need to be jostling your back around." Sakumo said with a sigh. 

Tenzo brightened immediately, and he could hear Sakumo and Kagami chuckling as he made his way to the stairs. He took them slowly, just as Sakumo had asked. He had never been upstairs here, and he was kind of excited to see Kakashi's room. 

There were four doors in the upper level of the house, but only one had a light underneath it. He walked up to it and knocked quietly. Shisui opened up the door, and he was clearly surprised to see Tenzo there. "Hey there, hot stuff." He said casually, leaning against the door frame. Tenzo blushed and tried not to let his eyes wander across all the bare skin. 

"Tenzo's up here?" He heard Kakashi ask excitedly before he popped up into the doorway with a smile. He was also only wearing his boxers, and Tenzo couldn't help the even larger blush that crossed his face. 

"Come on in!" Shisui said, moving into the room so Tenzo could join them. Tenzo walked in and stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, not comfortable enough to invite himself to sit on Kakashi's bed. 

Kakashi put a hand on Tenzo's back. "It didn't hurt coming up the stairs, did it?" Tenzo shook his head. It was a little annoying how much worry everyone had about his injuries. He had suffered in silence for so long, it was almost a hassle to take care of himself. Shisui made a small pile of pillows on the bed against the wall, and motioned for Tenzo to sit. 

Tenzo hesitated. "Don't you want pillows too?" 

Shisui tilted his head. "I don't have a broken back. I can just lean against the wall." 

Tenzo huffed a little, and he regretted it instantly. Shisui sighed softly. "I know it's probably getting a little frustrating, Tenzo… but we're only doing this stuff because we care about you." 

Tenzo  _ definitely  _ felt guilty now. "I know. I'm sorry. I'm just not used to it, I guess." 

"I'll make a compromise with you." Kakashi said as he split the pile of pillows into two. He leaned back on one, spread his legs and patted the bed in front of him.  _ I'll _ lean on the pillows, and you can lean on  _ me.  _ Then none of us have to lean on the wall." 

Shisui quickly shifted over to the other pile, and Tenzo slowly sat on the edge of the bed. He went to slide back, but two hands on his hips stopped him. "Hold still for a second." Kakashi said, and the hands slid him back effortlessly. Another thing to keep him from irritating his back. He would have rolled his eyes, but he was much too distracted by Kakashi's warmth seeping through his shirt. Kakashi was tall enough to still be able to see the tv over Tenzo's head. Shisui grabbed the remote and started whatever movie they had decided to watch. 

"What is this?" Tenzo asked quietly, concentrating on the warm breaths that were seeping into his hair. Kakashi wrapped his arms around Tenzo's shoulders and leaned on his head. "The Proposal." Shisui answered from the side. "It's a pretty good movie… plus you see  _ a lot  _ of Ryan Reynolds." Shisui said with a wink. Kakashi chuckled behind him, the sound right next to his ear. Tenzo relaxed, muscles loosening up that he didn't even know were tense. Kakashi must have noticed, because he squeezed Tenzo gently. 

Tenzo didn't see much of the movie. The comfortable seating arrangements had pulled him straight to sleep, and by the time his brain started to shift into awareness, it was because Sakumo had come upstairs to talk to Kakashi. Tenzo's eyes blinked open finally, and he realized he was still laying in Kakashi's arms. Sunlight streamed in through the window, and Tenzo felt a bit guilty that Kakashi had stayed that way all night. 

"Next Monday? That's so soon." Kakashi murmured. 

"I know. But it's better to get it over with. We had enough evidence to speed the process along, so hopefully it won't drag on too long." Sakumo answered. The silver haired man finally noticed Tenzo was awake, and smiled down at him. "Good morning, Tenzo." 

Tenzo smiled at him, and then immediately felt uncomfortable. After all, he was currently  _ laying  _ on his son, who was in his underwear. He barely shifted forward before Kakashi's arms tightened on him. He froze, not sure whether to continue forward or stay with Kakashi. 

"Tenzo… I have some news." Sakumo started. "Danzo's trial starts next Monday. This upcoming week, you will be meeting with the prosecution. They would like to discuss your options for testifying, and things of that nature. If you choose to testify, they will be giving you a rundown of questions to expect. As your current guardian, I'll be going with you to each meeting. Okay?" Sakumo explained slowly. 

"O-okay." Tenzo replied shakily. Kakashi's arms tightened again. He felt safe here, in Kakashi's arms… but would he be able to bring himself to testify? He swallowed nervously, and brought his hands up to grab Kakashi's arm. 


	9. Chapter 9

During breakfast, Shisui got a text from Asuma. "Looks like Asuma is going to have a get-together tonight. An overnight one, by the sounds of it." 

Sakumo hummed softly. "Are you boys going to go?" 

Kakashi grunted. "Depends on who's going I guess." 

"He said Obito won't be there." Shisui announced. "I think we should go. It could be fun." 

"Tenzo, would you like to go spend the night over at Asuma's with us?" Kakashi asked softly, shifting on the couch so he was facing the other boy. 

Tenzo's eyes widened. "Uh… am I  _ allowed  _ to do that?" 

Shisui laughed. "Of course! We wouldn't go without you." 

Tenzo smiled softly. "Okay." He replied with a nod. 

"Now boys, I know how Asuma's parties are. Remember the rules?" Kagami asked seriously. Asuma was the son of the mayor, and their house was huge. His dad often let him host get-togethers, where his friends would come over and play drinking games. Sakumo and Kagami knew that teenagers would find a way no matter what, so they had established rules for drinking a couple years back. 

"No leaving the house." Shisui replied between bites of potatoes. 

"Don't let anyone  _ else  _ leave either." Kakashi answered. 

"And don't let anyone get so drunk that they get sick." Shisui finished. 

"Ah! Don't forget about the  _ new  _ rule." Sakumo said with a smile. "Take care of Tenzo." 

Kakashi watched as Tenzo blushed. Of course he would never let anyone hurt Tenzo, though he was curious to see how he would act around others. 

"That reminds me. Shisui, I picked up that thing you asked me about." Kagami said vaguely. Kakashi arched an eyebrow, curious what the other boy was plotting. Shisui smiled beautifully, and looked down to Tenzo. "I have a present for you!" 

The poor boy just looked confused, and stared back at Shisui with his mouth full of eggs. 

"I had my dad pick you up a set of footie pajamas like mine! Except they aren't pink. They're bright blue." Shisui said excitedly. Kakashi imagined Tenzo in footie pajamas. He was sure Tenzo would be absolutely adorable in them, and couldn't wait to see it. Tenzo actually looked excited, which surprised him a bit. 

Sure enough, later, when Tenzo came out of the bathroom with Shisui, he had a giant smile on his face. Shisui stood next to him in his pink pajamas, with his arm around Tenzo's shoulders. Tenzo's were a bright sky blue… and he looked absolutely adorable. He seemed so much more childlike and happy in them. 

"So you like them?" Kakashi said with a smile.

"Yeah. I really do." Tenzo said brightly. 

"Good. We can wear them to sleep at Asuma's house." Shisui added enthusiastically. Tenzo nodded, and looked to Kakashi. "Do  _ you  _ have some to wear?" He asked, and Kakashi was cursing those wonderful eyes. Both sets of dark eyes stared back at him, and Shisui smiled. That bastard knew he wouldn't be able to say no. 

"Don't worry. I have a pair he can borrow." Shisui said with a smirk. Kakashi rolled his eyes. He had refused to wear them. For  _ years,  _ actually, and now he has finally been beaten. 

~

Tenzo's nerves were starting to build. He was in the car, sandwiched between Kakashi and Shisui as they rode to Asuma's house in Gai's car. Genma sat in the front seat, and had looked back more than once after Shisui had pulled Tenzo into his side. He was so tired. The car always seemed to make him this way. He had hoped he would have been over it by now. 

The car pulled into a long driveway, and Tenzo finally propped himself up to look out the windows. Asuma's house was  _ huge.  _ Even bigger than the one he and Danzo had lived in. 

Kakashi helped him out of the car, and Shisui carried his bag for him. He wished his stupid back and ribs would heal already so he could do things on his own again. 

Gai rang the doorbell, and Asuma answered it almost immediately. 

"Hey! Come on in!" He said with a smile, and they all filed past him into the house. 

The first thing that caught Tenzo's attention was the table covered in pizza boxes. Pizza was a weekly thing at Sakumo's, and Tenzo was definitely in love with it. 

Kurenai, Iruka, Anko, and Raidou were already there, eating pizza on one of the several couches. Izumo and Kotetsu arrived shortly after them, making a beeline for the food. 

"Go ahead and put your stuff in one of the spare rooms upstairs. There's enough beds for everyone if we share." Asuma said with a smile. 

"I can share with Shisui!" Anko called out, but Shisui just laughed. 

"No thanks. I think I'll share with Kakashi and Tenzo." He said lightly, smiling as Anko pouted. 

Kakashi took their stuff upstairs, while Shisui and Tenzo made their way to the pizza. Tenzo's mouth was already watering, and he looked up into large black eyes as Shisui handed him a plate. 

"Eat as much as you want, Tenzo. There is more than enough." Shisui said with a smile, grabbing a couple of slices of pepperoni for himself. Tenzo had probably eaten a whole pizza by the time he was done, smiling the whole time as people laughed and talked and told jokes around him. 

Once everyone settled, they broke out the alcohol. Apparently, it was very weak stuff… not that Tenzo would probably know the difference. Once the alcohol was out, most people decided to change into pajamas. 

"I don't want to pass out in my jeans." Iruka called out before heading upstairs. He was the first, and most followed, including Shisui, Tenzo, and Kakashi. 

After he finally made it up the stairs, Kakashi showed them their room. It was large, and the bed was huge. All three of them would easily fit to sleep, and Tenzo was glad they would not make him share with someone else. Shisui helped Tenzo into his new pajamas, and by the time he turned around, Kakashi was in a pair of dark blue ones Shisui had loaned him. They fit him well, and Kakashi made them look shockingly good. 

"How does it look?" Kakashi drawled, and Tenzo realized he had been staring. He smiled at the larger boy, and moved in for a hug. Kakashi accepted him easily. "That good, huh?" He said with a laugh, and Tenzo chose not to answer. 

After a small amount of teasing from the other guys about their pajamas, the girls came back out. There were two new ones who had been introduced to him as Yugao and Shizune. Anko ran up to him, and he almost flinched away from the loud girl as she squealed in his face. "Oh my god! You boys are too cute!" 

"Maa, calm down, Anko." Kakashi drawled, as the other girls joined her in her squealing and cooing. 

~

Soon enough, things were in full swing. Tenzo was eating another piece of pizza, and watching Kakashi and Shisui take on Izumo and Kotetsu in a game of ping pong. Things had gotten intense, and both Kakashi and Shisui unzipped the top half of their pajamas, leaving them hanging down at their waists. 

Tenzo tried not to stare, but he found that he couldn't quite look away from the muscles on his friends. Part of it was that they simply looked  _ good _ , and Tenzo's crush refused to let him look away. The other part of it was jealousy. Tenzo wished he could look like that. Once his injuries were healed, Shisui and Kakashi promised to let Tenzo work out with them in Kagami's home gym, but that seemed so far away. He had been there a few times, had watched the two of them work out, and he couldn't stop the jealous feelings. He was  _ tired  _ of being hurt. He was tired of being  _ small _ .

Tenzo pushed those feelings to the back, and watched as Shisui and Kakashi scored point after point against the other two. 

A hand on his shoulders made him flinch heavily, and the jolt flared pain through his back. He turned to see Anko smiling at him. "Come on, Cutie. We're gonna go play a game over here." She said, trying to tug Tenzo's arm towards the large group of people sitting on the floor. He took one last look at his friends, then followed the girl before she made him twist funny with her uncomfortable grip on him. 

Anko sat down, and Tenzo stood there awkwardly. He wasn't actually sure how to sit on the floor without help. Kakashi or Shisui had always been there. He could feel everyone watching him, and his face went red. 

"Oh! Here, let me help you." Guy called out helpfully, standing up and crossing the circle to help Tenzo down. "Thanks, Gai." He said quietly, not exactly thrilled to have the other boy touching him, but grateful for the help. 

"Oh yeah. I forgot about your back." Asuma said sheepishly. "Sorry about that." 

"His back?" Shizune asked quietly, and Yugao also looked curious. 

"His back is broken." Asuma answered with a shrug. "He needs help to sit down." 

Tenzo didn't bother mentioning his ribs. Really, he just wanted everyone's attention to go elsewhere. 

"The game is 'never have I ever'. The rules are simple. If you've done it, you drink." Anko called out loudly, and Asuma dropped a tiny glass in front of Tenzo. Kurenai filled it with a red tinted drink, and Tenzo lifted it to smell it. 

"Don't drink it yet." Kurenai said with a smile. "You only drink if you've done the thing somebody else says before." 

Tenzo furrowed his brows in confusion, but nodded anyway. He had never heard of the game, but was happy to be included. 

"It's my house, so I'll start." Asuma said proudly. "Never have I ever… failed a test." 

Everyone with the exception of Kurenai and Asuma raised the cups to their mouths, downing the liquid quickly. Tenzo had seen people drink like that in movies, and raised his tiny cup to his mouth too. Whatever the drink was, the berry flavor couldn't quite cover the nasty taste lying underneath. 

He thought back to when he was twelve, when his teacher had called to inform Danzo of his failed math test. He was fairly certain that was one of the times he had broken his pelvis, and shuddered at the thought. 

Kurenai spoke next. "Never have I ever… gotten carsick." 

Only Iruka, Shizune, and Gai drank on that one. Apparently it was an embarrassing memory for Iruka, because his face flushed bright red as Asuma laughed at him. "I had forgotten about that!" He called out enthusiastically.

Gai went next. "Never have I ever kissed Shisui!" 

Gai and Asuma laughed loudly when they were the only ones that didn't drink. Genma, Iruka, and Raidou seemed bitter about the drink, but took one anyway. Tenzo took his drink and tried to hide his smile. 

"Never have I ever kissed a woman." Kurenai called out. Everyone except Tenzo and Kurenai drank. A few curious glances were shot towards Tenzo, and he blushed. 

"Never have I ever given a blowjob." Genma called out. 

Tenzo froze. He learned from movies that a blowjob is  _ exactly _ what Danzo had forced on him a month ago. He took his drink quickly, hoping no one would notice. 

Tenzo looked up to find that  _ everyone  _ noticed. He blushed brightly, and Raidou thankfully moved on quickly. 

"Never have I ever eaten a plain tomato." He spoke quickly, and everyone drank except Tenzo and Raidou. 

"Never have I ever had sex!" Yugao said proudly, smiling devilishly at Anko and Kurenai. Both of them rolled their eyes and took their drinks, along with Asuma and Genma. Tenzo considered pretending… but something in his head just refused to let him. Years of forced training compelled him to tell the truth. His hand was up to his face before he could stop it, dropping the red liquid down his throat. It was starting to taste a bit better now that he was used to that nasty background taste. Everyone was staring at him again, and he flushed red. 

Anko bumped her shoulder into him playfully, and he jumped and turned to see her smiling at him. "So, who was it? You haven't kissed a girl… so was it a boy? Was it Kakashi?" 

Tenzo said nothing, but he felt the sweat build up on his face. 

"Never have I ever… had sex with a man?" Genma announced slowly, watching Tenzo intensely. Kurenai and Anko took their drinks while watching him. Tenzo lifted his drink, and dumped it down his throat. Suddenly, everyone was fixated on him, and he couldn't even run away thanks to his back. 

Genma filled his drink slowly, narrowing his eyes. 

"Never have I ever had sex with Kakashi." Kurenai said flatly, watching Tenzo as he remained still. 

"Never have I ever  _ received  _ a blowjob." Yugao added. Asuma, Iruka, Genma, and Raidou all drank. 

"Ooof. Didn't even get one back? That's cruel." Genma said with a laugh, gesturing to Tenzo's full drink. Tenzo sank down a little. 

"Never have I ever taken it in the ass!" Kurenai shouted out, giggling incessantly as she was starting to get tipsy. Anko slammed her drink back, and Tenzo drank his as well. He was starting to feel a little fuzzy, and it was getting harder to keep the tears from his eyes. He thought that maybe he should stop, but at the same time he felt an overwhelming pressure to keep playing. These people wouldn't want to be his friends if he ran away. 

"So who was it?" Genma tried, and he kept his mouth shut. 

"Yeah! Tell us!" Kurenai said with a giggle. 

"All we need is a name." Iruka said with a large grin. Everyone in the circle was talking at the same time, each one of them prompting him for an answer. The room started to spin, and Tenzo was having a hard time breathing. 

"Maa, what's with all of the excitement?" Kakashi drawled from the side, concern lacing his bare face. 

Anko pointed at him and shouted loudly. "Tenzo has had sex with a  _ man _ and we're trying to figure out who it was!" 

"Rival, do  _ you  _ know who it was?" Gai asked loudly. 

" _ Why _ are you  _ harassing _ him about it?" Shisui spoke angrily, lifting Tenzo from the ground by his arms. 

"If he doesn't want to tell, that's his business." Kakashi said with narrowed eyes. Everyone went silent with the scolding, and Tenzo felt his tears start to fall. Shisui hadn't let go of him, and he took a small comfort in that. Shisui walked him around the corner, and pulled him into a hug. 

"I'm sorry, Tenzo. We got a bit wrapped up in our game." Kakashi apologized sheepishly, putting a hand in Tenzo's hair. 

Tenzo pressed his face into Shisui's chest, and he realized he was shaking a bit. 

"You know, you don't have to tell anyone  _ anything.  _ Not even if you are playing a game." Shisui cooed, rocking a little with Tenzo in his arms. 

"Maybe I should call my dad. We should just head home." Kakashi mumbled. 

"No. I want to stay." Tenzo mumbled. "I'm not going to tell anyone anything else though." 

Shisui squeezed him gently. "Okay." 

Tenzo felt a hand come up under his chin, and he allowed it to lift his face. Shisui stared down at him fondly, and gave him a chaste kiss on the nose. "Did I tell you how cute you are in those pajamas?" He said with a smile. 

Tenzo blushed, but smiled back. Tenzo enjoyed the pajamas. They were soft, warm, and comfortable. They made him feel  _ cozy _ . Another reason he liked them though, was because they were the complete opposite of how he had been sleeping for the last five years. When he was wearing them, he didn't have to think about someone sneaking into his room at night to abuse him. 

Shisui leaned down slowly, slow enough that Tenzo could have pulled away, and pressed their lips together. "It's late. Do you want to go to bed? I'm sure you've had enough drinks." Shisui spoke softly. 

Tenzo nodded, and he heard Kakashi walking up behind them. He hadn't even noticed the other boy left. He turned and shot him a confused look. 

"Maa, I'm pretty sure most of them aren't going to remember this in the morning." He said with a shrug. Tenzo left Shisui's arms to get to Kakashi, and the silver-haired teen hugged him tightly around the shoulders. 

Up in the bedroom, Tenzo lay comfortably in his cozy pajamas, his friends sleeping on either side of him. It was reassuring to him how protective they were. It was even obvious to  _ him  _ how he always ended up in the middle. In the car, at school… even here in the bed. 

Tenzo didn't flinch when Shisui sleepily threw an arm over him. He was safe here. Safe with them. He smiled softly as he drifted off to sleep. 

~

Kakashi lay silently and stared towards the ceiling. Tenzo was pressed up against his side, but he just couldn't bring himself to relax. He felt awful. His "friends" had ganged up on Tenzo to try to drag information out of him because he couldn't pry himself away from Shisui. They had been sweaty, slightly tipsy, half nude, and laughing their asses off. Kakashi had noticed when Tenzo had left, saw Gai help him down to the floor, and just assumed everything was fine. 

Tenzo was fragile. No matter how strong he always appeared to be. How he was even able to  _ function  _ after all that had happened to him, Kakashi didn't know.

Kakashi turned to look down at the sleeping brunette. He was curled into Kakashi's side, his hands clutching onto the side of Kakashi's pajamas. 

After Tenzo had been taken into Shisui's arms, Kakashi had gone back to speak with the group again. He had lied to them. He told them that Tenzo had a previous relationship that ended badly, and if any of them ever brought it up again, he and Shisui would personally put them in the hospital. 

Kakashi felt guilty. Not because he threatened his friends… they deserved  _ that _ , but because he hadn't told Tenzo about the lie. He huffed a silent sigh, and turned to face the smaller boy. Tenzo curled up to his chest immediately, and Kakashi couldn't help but smile. He wrapped an arm around the other boy and went to sleep. 

~

Tenzo woke with a start, flinching into the quiet morning silently. He wasn't sure what it was that had woken him, but he did notice that Kakashi and Shisui each had an arm around him. He shifted a little, trying to release himself from their grips, and realized he had a bit of a…  _ problem.  _ His face flushed red, and he quickly removed himself from the arms and the bed. It took a considerable amount of effort to stand, given the soreness of his back in the morning. Once he was out of bed, he left the room to desperately search for the bathroom. Tenzo got lucky, and the first door he found that was open was a bathroom. He moved inside quickly, shutting the door and leaning against it. He used the door to lower himself down to the floor, and sighed. 

Tenzo looked down at the tent in his pajamas and cringed. Shame burned through him as his eyes started to water. He felt dirty. Danzo had always told him that it was shameful to allow this to happen, and he couldn't believe this was happening  _ now _ , of all times. He sniffled loudly and dropped his head back against the door with a light thud.

Tenzo tried to focus, tried to think of anything other than his friends. A small knock on the door startled him.

"Tenzo?" A whisper came out from the other side. "Are you alright?" 

"Yes." Tenzo answered tearfully, failing spectacularly at keeping his voice level. 

"Are you leaning on the door?" The voice asked. "Move over… I'm coming in." 

Tenzo used his arms to shift himself to the side, wiping his face frantically and pulling his knees up to hide his predicament. 

The door opened slowly, and Shisui peeked his head in. He looked at Tenzo and frowned before moving all the way in to the room. Much to Tenzo's horror, Kakashi followed him. Apparently life still hated him. 

"What's wrong, Tenzo?" Kakashi whispered as he shut the door. Both of his friends crouched down and waited patiently. 

Tenzo sighed, and laid his head on his knees. How could he admit to something so awful? He had been in  _ the same bed  _ as them. 

Shisui placed a hand on his shoulder. "Talk to us, Tenzo. We just want to help." 

"I just… wanted to hide for a bit." Tenzo mumbled into his legs. Shisui wasn't actually helping his situation at all as his hand rubbed his shoulder. 

"Why are you hiding? Are you hiding from  _ us _ ?" Kakashi asked worriedly. Tenzo felt terrible. He could hear the guilt in Kakashi's voice. He never wanted to make them feel guilty. 

"No." Tenzo answered quickly. "Well…  _ kind of _ . I um… I had a problem." Both of them stayed quiet, waiting for Tenzo to elaborate. 

"I'm sorry." Tenzo choked out, his tears rolling down his cheeks again as he was forced to admit the problem. "I… I had  _ bad _ thoughts, and I couldn't keep my body from reacting." 

Tenzo looked up to see his friends staring at him. Shisui blinked a few times before speaking. "You… have an…  _ erection? _ " He asked awkwardly, blushing brighter than Tenzo had ever seen. 

"I didn't mean to!" Tenzo whispered hoarsely. 

"Tenzo… that's not a big deal. It's a  _ natural _ thing." Kakashi explained slowly. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. It happens to everyone." 

Tenzo managed to stop crying for a moment. "It does?" 

"Yes." Shisui said with a laugh. "I'm sure somewhere along the line, Danzo or someone else told you it was a bad thing… but it isn't." Kakashi nodded his agreement, and Tenzo started to realize this was just another one of those things Danzo had used to manipulate him. Maybe this was why Danzo refused to sign the permission slip for sex education last year.

"H-how do I make it stop?" Tenzo asked quietly. His question was met with silence as Kakashi and Shisui shared a look. 

"Uh… you… well…" Shisui tried before going silent again. 

"You either wait it out… or you _take care of it._ " Kakashi said vaguely. 

"Take care of it?" Tenzo asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion. 

"Oh boy." Kakashi huffed out, his face as red as a tomato. "Why don't we just talk about things and try to wait it out. We can talk about the  _ other _ option some other time." 

"Did you enjoy the pizza last night?" Shisui asked suddenly. Tenzo smiled thinking about the delicious food. "Yeah! I love the pepperoni the best I think." 

"I think we could probably take some home with us." Kakashi said with a smile. 

They talked about food for another couple minutes, until Tenzo suddenly realized his problem was gone. He sighed in relief and stretched his legs out. Kakashi and Shisui seemed to relax after that, and pulled him up from the floor. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Posting 9 and 10 together so don't miss out on chapter 9!

The three boys made it downstairs and ate some more pizza for breakfast. They were the first ones downstairs, and he was relieved. He didn't really want to face any of the other teens at the moment. 

His relief didn't last long. He was eating pizza at the counter when a hand touched his shoulder. Tenzo jumped spectacularly, knowing Shisui and Kakashi were in front of him, and turned to see Iruka standing there. The other boy smiled at him and squeezed with his hand. "Good morning, Tenzo." Iruka said happily, before moving to get some pizza for himself. Tenzo tried to calm his nerves, but it seemed that  _ everyone  _ wanted to say something to him specifically this morning, and couldn't do it without touching him. After Genma came out and was the  _ fourth person  _ to physically touch him, he moved to sit between Shisui and Kakashi. He liked contact when it came from  _ them _ … not all these random people he hardly knew. 

It didn't matter. Asuma came out of the room behind them and ruffled his hair. He ducked away, tucking himself into Shisui's side. Asuma didn't seem to give a shit about Tenzo's insecurities and carried on like normal. 

Tenzo was standing next to his friends when Anko decided it was okay to violently grab his ass. "Hey, sexy!" 

Tenzo squealed loudly, spinning and backing away from her. He tripped over his own feet and tumbled to the floor. His back ached and his breath was coming out in large gasps and Kakashi dropped to the floor in front of him. 

Anko laughed for a moment, until she apparently decided that Tenzo wasn't doing well with the situation. 

"I'm sorry, kid. I didn't know that it would freak you out so much." She mumbled her apology. Honestly, it didn't seem that sincere. Kakashi rubbed behind his shoulders, and Tenzo managed to catch his breath. Everyone was standing around watching. Once again, he was the center of attention, and he was starting to get mad. 

"Is he gonna like, be okay?" Yugao asked, her tone saying that maybe Tenzo was  _ inconveniencing  _ them. 

Tenzo knew there was no possible way for them to understand. How could they? He tried not to let his anger boil over. Just when he was opening his mouth to speak, Shisui beat him to it. 

"Will you guys quit fucking touching him?  _ Clearly _ he isn't okay with it.  _ Clearly  _ he's still not quite comfortable around you guys. But he's  _ trying _ ! And all you guys have done is  _ harass him  _ and force yourself into his personal space! If someone flinches away and jumps every time you touch them…  _ stop fucking doing it! _ " Shisui yelled, his face red with anger. 

There was a solid minute of silence as Shisui calmed himself down. 

Iruka was the first to speak up. "I'm sorry, Tenzo. I should've paid more attention to my surroundings." 

"Me too." Asuma added. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." 

Several others apologized, but Tenzo didn't care to listen. He listened to Kakashi's heartbeat and he hid in his chest.

"Look, thanks for inviting us over, but I think we're just going to go." Kakashi said quietly, a bit of anger lacing his tone. 

Most people were upset that Shisui and Kakashi were leaving, but no one argued against it as Shisui called his father upstairs. They all clearly felt terrible about the whole thing, and continued to apologize to Tenzo. Tenzo felt a little bad that Shisui had to defend him like that, but he also knew that he was past the point in his life where people were able to touch him whenever they wanted. 

Kagami didn't say anything as they climbed into the car. Tenzo wondered what exactly Shisui had told him, but the lack of questioning made him suspicious. The car ride was quiet, and Tenzo got the feeling that Shisui was still pretty angry about the whole situation. 

As soon as they got home, the three of them went upstairs. Kakashi and Shisui hadn't said much of anything to him, but Kakashi's gentle hand on his back as he ascended the stairs was reassuring. 

In the room, Shisui sat on the bed with his head in his hands. "I just can't  _ believe  _ them." He said, shaking his hidden face. Kakashi moved to his side, throwing an arm over his shoulder. "Stop being so angry, Shisui. It's fine now. They all apologized, and I'd say they learned their lesson." Kakashi cooed, running a hand through Shisui's black hair. Shisui leaned against Kakashi bodily, and gestured for Tenzo to come sit on his left. The brunette went easily, lowering himself carefully onto the bed and scooting towards his friends. 

Shisui looped an arm around his shoulder. "Maybe we'll try again in a few months. I'm sorry everything went so terribly this time." Shisui apologized, looking to Tenzo with pained eyes. 

"It's fine, Shisui. They had no way of knowing." Tenzo answered quietly. "And it's partially  _ me  _ anyway. I'm still not used to being around so many people." 

Shisui finally appeared to lighten up, his shoulders relaxing and his eyes softening to something more familiar. He sat up straighter and gave Tenzo a mischievous grin. "Alright then. With that settled… let's teach you about masterbation." 

Kakashi immediately flushed red and started sputtering a response, and Tenzo recognized the word from movies. He blushed in the face of Shisui's large grin, and resigned himself to the undoubtedly embarrassing time he was about to have. 

Thankfully, Shisui just started an informational video on Youtube, and shuttled a flustered Kakashi out of the room. 

~

Monday rolled around quickly, putting a cap on the third weekend Tenzo had lived without Danzo. Everything was just…  _ better.  _ Tenzo felt like he could appreciate the world around him more. The sky was beautiful, colors were more vibrant, and music drifted in his ears and swam around his brain. Even still injured as he was, he was warm, comfortable, and well-fed. In fact, Sakumo hadn't served rice in the three weeks he had been living there, and Tenzo didn't miss it  _ one bit _ . 

He walked to school with his friends happily, only separating with them to get to his locker, which was all the way down the hall and around the corner from theirs. He really wished he could find someone to switch lockers with, but was too nervous to actually ask someone. Maybe he would have to bring it up with Shisui, since he could apparently get anything he wanted. 

Tenzo got his locker open only to have it forcefully slammed shut. He jumped at the sound, spinning around to face a pissed-off Obito, along with two of his friends. 

"Why am I hearing about you making out with my cousin at Homecoming? He doesn't need  _ another  _ one of you freaks trying to turn him gay." Obito snarled. Tenzo decided to remain silent, and just watched him. 

"Answer me,  _ boy _ ." 

Tenzo felt an icy shiver fly down his spine. He finally understood why this kid made him feel so uneasy.  _ Obito reminded him of Danzo. _ The self-important way he carried himself, the anger and the dismissive way he addressed Tenzo… even the hair and eyes. He  _ couldn't  _ answer. Now that he had made the connection, it was all he could think about. 

Two lockers down, he saw Yugao. She looked concerned, and for a moment, he thought she would step in. Instead she scurried away, leaving him there alone as Obito grew impatient and slammed him against the locker. Shocking pain spread from his fractured vertebra, reaching all the way down to his toes as Tenzo hissed in pain. 

"Don't you talk?" One of the other boys hissed. Tenzo vaguely recognized him as Deidara, a very strange and excitable person that always sat at the back of class being loud. 

"Yes." Tenzo growled out angrily, trying to pry Obito's hands off of his shirt. 

"Oh! It  _ does  _ speak! Now,  _ why  _ are you hanging around my cousin? Kakashi's just going to lead you on, anyway, so why don't you wise up and  _ leave?" _ Obito shouted, using his leverage to lift Tenzo off the ground. 

Tenzo panicked, his eyes watering as he kicked his legs out as hard as he could. He felt his shoe connect with Obito's jaw, and the boy dropped him instantly with a yelp. Tenzo crumpled to the ground, his legs unable to catch him as he fell. 

Obito started yelling angrily, and Tenzo was regretting his position on the floor immediately. 

Kakashi and Shisui rounded the corner quickly, followed by Yugao and the Principal. 

"Obito Uchiha!" The man yelled out angrily, and Obito stopped yelling immediately. 

Tenzo's back still throbbed painfully as Shisui and Kakashi dropped to the floor beside him. "Are you alright?" Kakashi asked frantically, looking Tenzo over for injuries. 

"My back." Tenzo said through clenched teeth. 

"Lay down." Shisui said quickly, and Tenzo struggled to comply. 

Kakashi ended up having to call his father, and he was taken back to the clinic with the tall blond lady. Thankfully, there weren't any new damages, and Tenzo was just told to go home and rest for the remainder of the day. 

Shisui and Kakashi were still at school, and Sakumo still needed to work. Tenzo got his first bit of time home alone since before leaving Danzo's house. 

The first thing he did was slowly change into the pajamas Shisui picked out for him. The second thing he did was hide in the bathroom and try out the things he learned from the sex education video Shisui showed him. Once he was done with that, Tenzo laid down and watched a few movies. 

By the time Kakashi and Shisui walked in the door, Tenzo was asleep on the couch with cartoons playing in the background. 

~

Tenzo was allowed back to school the next day, and afterwards he was taken to a meeting with the prosecutor of Danzo's case. He still hadn't decided if he wanted to testify. Sakumo assured him that it was okay to be scared… but he still felt like a coward. Maybe if he faced Danzo in an environment where the older man wasn't in control, he could start to heal. 

Tenzo gathered all of his courage and told Sakumo that he wanted to testify. The silver haired man pulled him into a hug. "I'm going to be there the  _ whole  _ time. It will be over before you know it, and then you'll never have to see him again." 

Tenzo knew Sakumo was right, but it didn't change the fact that he was absolutely terrified to see the man again. 

~

The school week went by quickly. Too quickly. Shisui had talked Iruka into switching lockers with Tenzo so theirs were right next to each other, and Obito wasn't seen the entire week. After the first day, they started hearing rumors about him being suspended for the week. Tenzo was glad. He really didn't want to deal with the guy right now, especially when he was going to have to face Danzo on Monday. 

It was sunday now. The whole weekend, he could tell Kakashi and Shisui were trying their hardest to keep him distracted, but Tenzo couldn't quite focus on anything. 

Tenzo had been sleeping upstairs in Kakashi's room ever since Homecoming. Sakumo didn't seem to mind, so he figured it was fine. Shisui sat with him on Kakashi's bed while the other boy was in the shower. 

Shisui fiddled with his hands for a moment before scooting closer. "So… how about we work on your kissing?" He said quietly, leaning in slow enough that Tenzo could have easily backed away. Tenzo didn't want to. He had hoped they would get back to this at some point. 

Shisui placed hands on each side of Tenzo's face and guided their lips together. Tenzo's eyes closed automatically, and he tried to move his mouth in time with Shisui's. It was a bit of a shock when the tongue worked it's way past Tenzo's lips, but he welcomed it, and wound his hands around his friend's neck. 

Tenzo's eyes flew open and he pulled back a bit. Shisui didn't try to stop him, willing to give him all the space he needed.

"Shisui?" Tenzo asked nervously, dropping his hands down onto his own legs. 

"Mm?" He answered, tilting his head and laying his hands over Tenzo's. 

"Is it  _ okay  _ to keep kissing you when Kakashi told me he likes me?" Tenzo asked, his face lighting up in a blush. One side of Shisui's mouth tilted up in a smile, and he chuckled softly. 

"Tenzo… Kakashi doesn't care if you kiss  _ me.  _ Anyone else… and he might get jealous. But not me." Shisui answered softly. 

"Why not?" Tenzo asked curiously. 

"Because Kakashi knows that I love him, and that I don't intend to steal you away from him." Shisui said honestly. 

"You  _ love  _ him?" 

"Yes. Very much so." Shisui answered, a fond smile on his face as he averted his eyes to the mattress. 

"How come you aren't together? Can't you still be together even if you don't want to have sex?" Tenzo asked, furrowing his brows in confusion. 

"Well… yes. I suppose we  _ could _ . But eventually Kakashi would need more than that."

"And you would want to sleep with girls instead?" Tenzo asked, causing a rare blush across Shisui's face. 

"Well… no. Truth be told, I don't really want to sleep with  _ them  _ either. I don't think I want to sleep with  _ anyone.  _ I'm hoping someday that changes… but until then, I can't expect Kakashi to wait around for me. Besides… what happens if he waits and then I find out that I  _ do  _ want to sleep with girls? I don't find anything attractive about dicks… but I can't say I like the female parts either. Maybe I'm just not meant to have a real relationship with someone." 

Tenzo listened as Shisui gave his lengthy explanation. He could see the pain reflected in Shisui's eyes at the thought of being alone. Shisui was obviously very stressed about the whole situation in general. 

"Well… even if you  _ do  _ find that you don't want to sleep with anyone, you can still kiss me and stuff." Tenzo said shyly, looking down and rubbing the back of his neck. A single finger tilted his head back up from under his jaw, and he looked up to see Shisui smiling at him softly. His eyes were a bit watery, but he kept his composure. "Thank you, Tenzo. That really means a lot to me." Shisui leaned back in for more kissing, and Tenzo accepted him with ease, now reassured that he wouldn't be upsetting Kakashi. 

~

Kakashi opened his bedroom door to find Shisui and Tenzo making out. He couldn't say he was that surprised. They had been slowly running out of things to keep him distracted as the day went on. Kakashi still hadn't kissed Tenzo. He  _ really  _ wanted to… but he also wanted it to be at the right time. Nothing had felt right so far. Everything felt like it would be forced, unnatural. 

Both teens stopped to look at him, Shisui with a wonderfully sexy smile and Tenzo with his own shy one. Kakashi couldn't help but enjoy the sight of them on his bed. 

He jumped on the bed behind Tenzo, wrapping his arms around the smaller boy's shoulders and resting his jaw on one. "Looks like you two are having plenty of fun without me." He said with a smile. He must've said the wrong thing, because Tenzo tensed up. 

"That doesn't  _ bother  _ you… does it?" He asked timidly. 

_ Ah. Because I told him I liked him.  _

"You can kiss whoever you want, Tenzo. But even if you want to be in a relationship with me at some point, I wouldn't mind you kissing Shisui." Kakashi answered, leaning his face against the side of Tenzo's head. 

Tenzo smiled, and shocked Kakashi by turning and kissing his forehead. His silver eyebrows rose and his face flushed red. Shisui chuckled deeply, and leaned in to give Kakashi a chaste kiss on the lips. 

It was getting late, so Kakashi put in a movie that Tenzo loved (The Nightmare Before Christmas) and got the other two to lay down. Kakashi was grateful he didn't have a twin sized bed as they all got settled. Normally, Tenzo would sleep in the middle, but since they were watching a movie, Kakashi moved him to the front. Kakashi couldn't help but smile as Tenzo snuggled back against him, and Shisui used his shoulder as a pillow to watch the movie. 

A soft knock on the door, and Kakashi called out a quiet "come in". His father made his way in, thankfully not worrying about all three boys laying together on the bed. Sakumo trusted him not to do anything careless, and he wouldn't betray that trust. Sakumo knelt down in front of Tenzo. "Here, you should take these." 

"What is it?" Tenzo asked as he moved to sit up enough to grab the water he offered. 

"It's to help you sleep. I'm sure you're worried about tomorrow, but sleep is important. I don't want you lying awake all night worrying." Sakumo replied softly. 

Tenzo nodded, taking the offered pills with the water. Sakumo reached out and ruffled his hair before standing to leave. Kakashi felt the hand run through his hair briefly before he turned away. "Get some sleep, boys." 

they were hardly halfway through the movie when Kakashi became sure that Tenzo was asleep. He leaned back slightly to check on Shisui, and was immediately swept up into a kiss. 

"Mm. Goodnight Shisui." Kakashi said with a smile. 

"Goodnight." Shisui replied, dropping his head heavily down on the pillow. Kakashi turned back around and snuggled up to Tenzo, burying his face in the back of his neck as he closed his eyes for the night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've officially caught up to myself, so updates will be a little slower and probably one chapter at a time. I don't imagine there is much left to go for this one, but I've said that before with other stories and been dead wrong, so who knows.


	11. Chapter 11

Shisui sat in the courtroom silently, with Kakashi and Sakumo next to him. His own father was in the back, waiting with Tenzo for when he would have to go on the stand. Shisui was nervous. They all were. In fact, Kakashi hadn't quit squirming since they had sat down. 

Shisui bumped him lightly with his shoulder. "He's going to be alright. You know that?" He spoke softly. Kakashi nodded, but continued to stare down at his hands. 

Shisui shared a knowing look with Sakumo before he grabbed Kakashi's hand from his lap. "Kakashi." He said, waiting for the other boy to look up at him. Gray eyes locked on to his, and Shisui could easily identify the immense worry hiding behind them. 

"He's going to be okay. After today, he won't have to come back. He gets to come home with us and we're never gonna let him go. Even when we move out and go to college, you can bet your ass we're dragging him along with us. Okay?" Shisui tried to reassure him, squeezing the pale hand between both of his own. Kakashi gave a soft smile, and squeezed back. "Okay." 

Shisui kept a hold on his hand, knowing he would probably need it, and looked to Sakumo. The man smiled at him over his son's head, and gave him an appreciative nod. 

All three heads snapped to the front as the doors opened and the defendant was led in. Shisui and Kakashi watched him walk, his head still held high even with the gravity of the charges he was facing. The man certainly gave off a creepy aura, and Shisui fought back an uncomfortable shiver as the man made eye-contact with him. He glared at the man, and the dark eyes narrowed slightly. He  _ had  _ to know by now that it was a couple of kids that had brought the police into this. It had to be in the report. Shisui and Kakashi were the only kids here. Sakumo had been one of the arresting officers, and Kakashi was practically his clone. He had to know. Something about that was satisfying, deep in the back of Shisui's mind.  _ We're the ones who figured you out. _

The other part of him was just filled with anger. This is the man that  _ touched  _ Tenzo. This was the arrogant ass that treated him like an object. The man that abused him and threw him around and laid his filthy hands on him. 

The man didn't spare them another glance as he sat down, but Shisui couldn't take his eyes off the back of his head. Kakashi squeezed his hand slightly, and broke him out of whatever trance he was stuck in. He looked to his friend, and saw the same anger in his eyes. 

The first part of the trial was spent going over evidence. They showed the horrible pictures of Tenzo's injuries throughout the three weeks of the investigation, and had the blonde doctor from the clinic come in and talk about his internal injuries and his X-ray. Shisui felt sick to his stomach when they got to the final pictures taken. Tenzo's room. The bloody vomit on the carpet, the blood and semen spots, and the belt that was still tied around the bed frame with Tenzo's blood soaked into it. Honestly it looked like pictures from a murder. The belt had dug into the wooden frame of the bed when Tenzo was trapped there, struggling to escape while Danzo violated him. 

Shisui had to shut his eyes for a moment when they talked about that one. For each set of pictures, they played Tenzo's recount of the weekend, and it broke Shisui's heart to listen to it again. 

Finally, after two hours of going through the large amount of evidence they had, it was Tenzo's turn to take the stand. He was led in by Kagami, but the young boy still froze when he finally saw Danzo. Shisui could hear his father trying to reassure him, and Tenzo reluctantly sat down. 

When his large brown eyes made it over to them, both Kakashi and Shisui gave a little wave. Tenzo managed a small smile and a wave of his own. 

At that, Danzo finally turned back to look at them again. Shisui turned and glared at him until he looked away. 

Tenzo looked so much healthier after seeing the pictures from his injuries again. In the month he had been with them, he had probably put on 15 pounds. It was amazing, really, the amount of changes he had gone through. 

"Please state your name for the court." The prosecutor directed. 

"T-Tenzo Shimura." 

"Tenzo, how long have you lived with the defendant?" 

"F-five years." Tenzo answered nervously, shifting in his seat.

"How long was it until the physical abuse started?" 

"The first week I lived with him." 

"And what happened?"

"I-I asked for more food… and he hit me with his belt until I passed out." 

"I see. And when did the  _ sexual  _ abuse start?" 

"Two months after I moved in." 

"And how old were you?" 

"Ten." 

"Can you tell us what happened?" 

Tenzo nodded slowly, and looked to Shisui and Kakashi for reassurance. Shisui wasn't sure what to do, but he tried to smile for his friend. He was disgusted. He almost felt like he shouldn't be here. Shouldn't be listening to all the horrible things that happened to Tenzo. But… Tenzo needed their support. 

"I had been locked in my room all day, and D-Danzo came in and pinned me to the floor. He said I needed to learn how to behave. I had never… it was the first time anyone had touched me like that. It h-hurt, and I couldn't get away."

By the time Tenzo was allowed to leave the stand, Shisui had heard way more horrific stories than he could have imagined. The worst by far were the times Tenzo was pretty sure explained the healed fractures in his pelvis. 

He looked over to Kakashi, who was pale and silent. 

The defense attorney had been whispering something to Danzo for a while, and went to speak with the judge. They called for a recess fairly quickly. The three of them went to find Tenzo out in the hall. 

When Shisui got to him, he was shaking. They all gave him massive hugs, and told him how proud they were. By the end of the reunion, Tenzo was crying. Shisui was fairly certain that it was from relief. 

~

Tenzo sat on the bench in the hallway, leaning bodily on Kakashi. Sakumo had been called away by the prosecutor shortly after they had met up. That was by far the most stressful and horrible thing he had been through aside from actually living through his stories. He felt like his whole life had been laid bare to a room full of people. 

Sakumo finally came back around the corner, but he didn't look happy. He knelt down in front of Tenzo. "Tenzo… Danzo wants to change his plea to guilty. He has a request though. He wants to speak with you. I… I don't think we need a guilty plea. We've built a solid case with miles of evidence. All that would mean is there is a guarantee, and the trial won't drag out. I don't want you to do this unless  _ you  _ want to. If you never want to see the bastard again, that's okay." 

Tenzo frowned down at his feet. Danzo wants to speak with him? "Why does he want to talk to me?" 

Sakumo frowned. "Honestly? I don't know." 

Tenzo sat silent for a minute. He can feel how Kakashi had tensed up against him. He's not stupid. None of them wanted him to speak with Danzo. They don't want him to have to face the man who's caused him so much pain… but they would never make that decision for him. 

Tenzo thought long and hard. Part of him wanted to do it. He wanted to walk in front of Danzo, he wanted to tell him all the things he's always wanted to, wanted to speak to him without being spoken to first, without calling him "Sir" like he's always been supposed to. He wanted to parade in front of the man in his new suit that Kagami and Sakumo helped him get, and prove just how much of a normal kid he is. 

Tenzo looked up to Sakumo just as the prosecutor was walking up. "I'd like to do it. Can Kakashi and Shisui come with me?" 

The shock on Sakumo's face said a lot, but Tenzo really wanted to do this. The prosecutor was the one who answered. "You can have one other person in there with you." 

"Take Kakashi." Sakumo replied with conviction, and raised a hand at Shisui's immediate protests. "We both know you won't be able to keep calm in there, Shisui." 

Shisui sank down into the bench, but nodded. Tenzo turned to his other friend, dragging him into a hug. He kissed Shisui on the cheek, ignoring the small uncomfortable noise Sakumo made and smiling at the other boy. Shisui smiled back. "Alright. I'll be waiting here for you." 

~

The hallway that Sakumo and the prosecutor took them down was long. During the walk, a bit of Tenzo's courage slipped away. It didn't matter. He was still going to do this. 

When Tenzo and Kakashi entered the room by themselves, there was only Danzo, and one guard by the door. The older man was looking at them, almost studying them as they walked in. 

"I wasn't aware you were bringing a friend." Danzo spoke bitterly, eyeing Kakashi as he sat down. Kakashi didn't react, and Tenzo tried hard to emulate him. Inside, his brain was going a million miles an hour, but he tried to work off of the steel attitude of his friend. 

"It's not like I needed your permission." Tenzo said dismissively, enjoying the small flicker of annoyance that crossed Danzo's face. Once he settled in his chair, he spoke again. "What do you want?" 

Danzo stared at them for another minute, and apparently decided he didn't need to answer that. He glared at Kakashi. "You must be the spawn of that police officer." 

Kakashi glared right back. "And you must be that piece of  _ human garbage  _ named Danzo." 

Danzo scowled at Kakashi. "Some  _ nice  _ friends you've made,  _ boy _ ."

Tenzo looked over to Kakashi and smiled. "Yeah… I thought so too." He answered fondly. Kakashi, even though he was obviously pissed and uncomfortable with the situation, smiled back and moved his hand closer. Tenzo took the invitation, and interlocked their fingers on the table. 

Tenzo would've done that from the beginning if he had known it would have pissed the man off so badly. He hadn't seen Danzo  _ that  _ mad since two summers ago when the neighbors sent the police over because of Tenzo's screaming. 

Tenzo watched him, his heart finally at ease knowing Danzo would never be able to control him again. "I'm not your property anymore,  _ Danzo _ . I get to have a  _ real  _ life now. I can go to school dances, have friends and pizza and whatever the hell I want. Sakumo is like the father I never had, and I will always be thankful to him and Kagami both for working so hard to get me away from  _ you _ . More than that, I'm thankful for my new friends, who saw that something was going on with me that I wasn't willing to talk about." 

Danzo continued to scowl at them. Tenzo didn't know what the man had hoped would come of this, but he knew that this wasn't it. 

"You sure have acquired an attitude,  _ boy." _ He said slowly. 

_ "Tenzo. _ His  _ name _ , is Tenzo. Not  _ boy. _ " Kakashi replied, venom in his tone. 

Danzo narrowed his eyes further at Kakashi. "I don't think I was talking to  _ you _ ." 

"I don't think I care." Kakashi answered quickly, squeezing Tenzo's hand. 

"You're a terrible person, Danzo. I hope you know that." Tenzo said loudly, breaking Danzo's concentration from Kakashi. "I  _ did  _ learn something from you, however. I learned to never let anyone control me like you did. I learned that everything you ever told me was a lie. And I learned that nobody gets to touch me without permission." 

Danzo crossed his arms as best he could while hooked to the table and leaned back in his chair. Tenzo had never seen the expression before, but he could almost believe that Danzo looked… impressed? He wasn't sure what to do with that. 

"I suppose this conversation is over then." Danzo replied quietly. 

Kakashi was the first to stand, hooking a quick arm under Tenzo's to help him stand. Tenzo could  _ almost  _ stand up by himself without pain, but he was grateful for the help. 

"Goodbye, Danzo. I hope I never see you again." Tenzo said as he waited for the guard to open the door. The officer leaned over, and whispered to them. "Good job, kid." 

Tenzo was smiling when they went back out into the hallway. Sakumo, Shisui, and Kagami all stood simultaneously, but the worry was stricken from their faces when they saw Tenzo's smile. Shisui reached him first, wrapping him up in a strong hug. "How'd it go?" 

Kakashi answered first. "Good. It was pretty much Tenzo telling the guy off." 

"Good. That's how it  _ should  _ be." Kagami answered happily. "How do you feel?" 

"I don't know… happy I guess. I'm just glad that's over." Tenzo answered. Exhaustion started to weigh on him as all of the stress from the day settled into his bones. He was ready to leave. "When can we go home?" 

"Right now." Sakumo said with a smile, clearly noticing how tired Tenzo suddenly was. 

Tenzo was out like a light before they even left the parking lot. 

~

Tenzo woke up with a face full of silver hair. He was on his back on the couch, and Kakashi was lying by his side, with one arm and his head resting on Tenzo's chest. He felt strangely comfortable, even knowing that Sakumo and Kagami were likely in the room. 

Kakashi's arms squeezed him gently. His ribs were mostly healed, but they were still a bit tender to the touch, so Tenzo was grateful for the careful treatment. 

Kakashi lifted his head off of Tenzo's chest enough to look at him, a wonderful smile playing across his lips. "Good morning, Tenzo." 

Tenzo raised his eyebrows. He had slept all night? He looked down, and saw that he was in his blue pajamas. 

"Good morning." Tenzo replied when he finally got his bearings straight. Kakashi leaned forward slowly, and pressed their lips together. Tenzo was so shocked that he hadn't had any time to kiss back before Kakashi was pulling away. Kakashi had never kissed him before. He quickly looked around, and Kakashi chuckled. "Our fathers aren't here. They are entering the new plea for Danzo today, and the judge will decide his fate." 

Tenzo stopped looking around and watched his friend's mouth. He had missed out on his first kiss with the silver-haired teen, but was determined to make up for it. Tenzo surged forward, wrapping his hands around Kakashi's jaw and pulling him in for a make-up kiss. They crashed together, and Tenzo deepened the kiss like Shisui had taught him, sending his tongue inside to taste everything that was Kakashi. After a moment, they separated. Tenzo took the time to appreciate the beauty of the pink blush on Kakashi's face, before turning to see Shisui on the other part of the couch. 

The Uchiha was stretched out languidly, lying on his stomach on the other side of the couch, watching them with a satisfied smirk on his face. 

There was something else there too, something that Tenzo couldn't quite identify hiding in those large black eyes. 

Kakashi must have sensed it too, because he tilted his head at Shisui curiously. "Are you alright, Shisui?" 

The other boy laughed loudly. "Yes. More than alright, actually. I think I've finally figured myself out." 

Kakashi sat up quickly, keeping his hands on Tenzo's legs so they still had some form of contact. "You're serious?" Kakashi said hopefully. 

Shisui rolled over onto his back, and both boys received a view of the impressive tent in his pink pajamas. "I am. Apparently watching you two make out has breathed new life into my dick. So… thanks for the show." Shisui said with a wink. 

Kakashi seemed absolutely dumbstruck. His mouth was hanging open, his eyes were watery, and he couldn't seem to take his eyes off of Shisui's crotch. Tenzo wasn't sure what all the excitement was about. "I thought you said it was  _ normal _ for that to happen?" He asked quietly, reaching down to grab the pale hands on his thighs. 

"It is, Tenzo. I promise you that." Kakashi answered quickly, looking to Tenzo with a smile. "What he's saying is that he's finally figured out that he… likes boys." 

Tenzo hadn't seen Kakashi as excited as he was in that moment. Even someone as naive as Tenzo could tell that Shisui and Kakashi were meant to be more than friends. 

"Well… to be fair, I think I might like girls too. At least a little. But they don't get me excited enough for  _ this  _ to happen." Shisui said happily, gesturing to his midsection. 

Tenzo removed his hands from Kakashi's timidly. "You two are going to be boyfriends now, right?" Tenzo asked, though he was certain the answer would be a resounding "yes". Part of him was very happy that Shisui wouldn't have to live his whole life feeling like an outcast. He was also happy for Kakashi, who would finally get to be with the guy he had always held a torch for. But at the same time… he wished Shisui had figured that out  _ earlier.  _ Maybe  _ before  _ Tenzo had gotten attached to the idea of being with Kakashi. He had a massive crush on  _ both  _ of them… but they  _ deserve  _ to be together. 

Tenzo continued to stare at the ceiling, lost in his thoughts until Shisui's face popped into his vision. "Tenzo?" He called out, sounding put upon as if he had been calling to him for a while. "Were you listening?" Shisui said with a smile, and Tenzo shook his head. 

Kakashi snorted. "Of course he wasn't. He practically went comatose." 

Shisui smiled playfully at Kakashi before leaning closer to Tenzo. "Well, as I was saying while you were counting the ceiling tiles, you're  _ crazy  _ if you think we're ever going to leave you behind, Tenzo. The only way you're getting rid of  _ us  _ is if you tell us you don't like us anymore." 

Tenzo blinked up at him, trying his hardest to understand the point Shisui was making. 

"All three of us like each other, Tenzo. That hasn't changed." Kakashi said softly. "There's no reason to put a label on it just yet, okay? We're still young. We're still figuring things out. Let's just focus on being there for each other." 

"Also, I'm not going to go around kissing everyone." Shisui said with a smile. 

"Really?" Kakashi asked hesitantly. "Are you sure that's what you want?" 

Shisui nodded, and leaned over to place a kiss between silver eyebrows. "I don't need to. I can get all the kisses I want  _ right here _ , now that i know what it is I actually want." 

~

That night at dinner, after Kagami and Sakumo had given Tenzo the news of Danzo's 30 year sentence, they were all eating pizza to celebrate the whole ordeal being over. 

Shisui set his last piece of pizza back down on his plate, looking pensively at the table cloth. 

"Something wrong, Shisui?" Kagami asked, and Shisui looked to him with determination on his face. 

"Dad, I like boys." He announced loudly, drawing the attention of the whole table. 

"I thought we already knew that." Kagami said with a laugh. 

"No." Shisui said seriously, and Kagami stopped laughing. "I mean… I am  _ sexually  _ attracted to boys. It's not just the kissing thing anymore."

"Oh." Kagami said quietly, sharing a look with Sakumo. "I'm uh… I'm glad you've figured it out." 

"Thank you for telling us." Sakumo said with a smile. 

"Yes. Thank you, Shisui." Kagami said easily. "But I gotta ask… what does that mean for you boys?" He asked, gesturing to the three of them. As the adults shared another look, Tenzo knew they were still worried about him. 

"We aren't going to be doing anything like that." Kakashi said vaguely before taking another bite of pizza. 

"Exactly." Shisui said. "I've figured out what I want, but that doesn't mean I'm going to…  _ you know _ … become sexually active or anything." He explained awkwardly. Both Kagami and Sakumo looked excessively uncomfortable with the topic, but chose to power through anyway. 

"Okay." Sakumo replied. "So you three are just…  _ friends? _ " 

Shisui looked to Kakashi and Tenzo. "No. Not really." He replied and Kagami looked like he was going to say something. Shisui held a hand up to stop him. "But we've decided that we're still young and don't need to be worrying about any of that yet. We won't do anything irresponsible." 

The adults were silent for a moment, looking over all three teenagers carefully. The boys just smiled at each other and waited for a response. 

"Okay." Kagami answered, reaching over to ruffle his son's hair. "But I kind of figured it was going to end up this way." The older man said, elbowing Shisui playfully. 

"Yeah, yeah." Shisui said with a laugh, swatting his father away. Sometimes watching their interactions made Tenzo wish that he had a real father. 

"Tenzo?" Sakumo asked quietly, letting the rest of them carry on with their own conversation. 

"Yeah?" Tenzo answered, looking into Sakumo's dark eyes that were so similar to Kakashi's. 

"You like boys too?" He asked, tilting his head as he placed a large hand on Tenzo's shoulder. 

Tenzo nodded, somehow feeling a little worried that putting a voice to the words would cause Sakumo to pull away from him. He didn't know what he would do if the man didn't like him anymore. 

Sakumo smiled softly, and moved out of his chair to hug Tenzo around the shoulders. "Thank you for telling me. I'm proud of you. Whatever you decide to do in life, or whoever you decide to love, I will  _ always  _ be proud of you." 

Tenzo couldn't have stopped the tears if he tried. Sakumo's words meant more to him than anything an adult had ever said to him. He felt warm, fuzzy, and  _ loved.  _ These people actually cared about him, and it was too much for him to contain the ocean of emotions that were rolling around inside. 

Sakumo  _ was  _ a real father to Tenzo, no matter what a blood test would say. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey sorry this one took so long. Hopefully the next one is faster. I'm thinking one or two more chapters probably before this is wrapped up. I'd like to get the whole Obito thing resolved, a little bit of underage dating in, and then a look into the future with some smut involved probably. Thanks for all the feedback! I really appreciate it and it helps keep me going!
> 
> P.S. I just started a tumblr that I'm going to be posting stories on if anyone is interested. Just overall sharing things I find interesting and reblogging events and stuff. Its kakayamaforever, if anyone is interested.  
> I don't really know how to use tumblr that well but I'm gonna give it a shot.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A nice healing chapter for sweet little Tenzo

The next morning, all three boys were ready to go back to school. It was Wednesday, and they had already missed two days this week. Of course, the absences were excused, but Tenzo was excited to get back to his normal routine. 

For one, his back was almost completely healed, and he was finally able to stand up or sit down on his own. 

Some of Kakashi and Shisui's friends greeted him, even after the complete failure of a sleepover, and they did it happily... without touching him. Tenzo made sure to always smile at them and wave, if only to show them that he  _ did  _ want to be friends… just without the touching. The only people he wanted to touch him were his new family members. It was a nice feeling, knowing that he actually had a choice. He knew that if he asked Sakumo or Kagami not to touch him, they would stop immediately. Of course, he would  _ never  _ ask that, because he loved them and it would break his heart. But, it was nice to know he  _ could. _

3rd period gym class was thankfully another free day. Tenzo preferred when they were allowed to do their own thing as opposed to activities as a whole. It wasn't only because this was his largest class, or because Obito  _ and  _ Zabuza were in it… but because he was terribly uncoordinated and his back was still tender. He knew that would all change once he was healed. Kakashi and Shisui had promised him bike riding, hiking, tree climbing, and all sorts of other things he had never been able to get into with Danzo around. 

They were basically unsupervised at this point, so Tenzo was concerned when Obito padded up to them slowly. They had been walking around the track outside (running was still a bit hard on his back) when he showed up. 

"Shisui, can't we  _ talk _ a little bit? Aren't we still cousins?" Obito whined, ignoring Kakashi and Tenzo. 

"What do you  _ want _ , Obito?" Shisui answered, already annoyed with his cousin who only seemed to want to cause trouble. 

"I just want to know why you keep picking these assholes over  _ me _ .  _ He killed her _ , Shisui. Why can't you see that?" Obito growled, crossing his arms in front of himself. 

Tenzo knew what he was referencing this time. One of the times Kakashi had woken up in the middle of the night, teary-eyed and shaking, he had told Tenzo the truth. He had told Tenzo about the girl he had let get too close, because she was being screamed at behind closed doors. Her mother was an addict, and her father was an asshole who treated her like scum. Kakashi had let her lean on him, had tried to support her when she needed him… but had given her false hope in the process. 

"Obito! For the last goddamn time, Rin had  _ other  _ things going on in her life, and you  _ know  _ it. Kakashi didn't cause this. Rin was depressed… and it takes a lot more than just  _ one day _ of rejection to make someone feel terrible enough to do what she did.  _ She was sick _ , Obito, and I think you just want to blame Kakashi because  _ you  _ didn't see it coming either." Shisui lectured, stepping forward. 

Obito was quiet for a minute or so, and Kakashi said nothing. The subject was still something he didn't want to talk about. Tenzo reached out for his hand, and Kakashi took it readily, threading their fingers together. 

Obito's voice was shaky when he spoke again. " _ Maybe _ it wasn't  _ all  _ his fault. But he is still  _ gay _ , Shisui." 

Shisui huffed loudly. "So? What's wrong with  _ that _ ?" 

"It's… unnatural." Obito said, having trouble keeping up his hatred for Kakashi after Shisui's argument on his behalf. 

"Love is natural, Obito. As long as both people consent, I don't see a problem with it." Shisui said proudly. "Would you hate gay people so much if I was gay too?" 

Obito frowned incredulously. "What? No. Of course not. You're my cousin. But you  _ aren't  _ gay, so it doesn't matter." 

"Yes. I am." Shisui replied with a smile. "I am  _ gay _ , cousin. And in love." 

Obito looked between the three of them. "You're kidding. You've kissed every girl in the school at least twice."

"Yes, but they don't get me…  _ excited _ , if you know what I mean." Shisui said with a smirk that Tenzo couldn't help but smile at. 

Obito wrinkled his nose at the implication. "Is it  _ him _ ?" He asked quietly, gesturing to Kakashi. 

Shisui huffed a laugh, stepping back again to stand by Kakashi's side. Obito finally noticed Tenzo and Kakashi holding hands, and the older boy was even more confused. 

"It's both of them." Shisui announced. "I like  _ both  _ of them, and if you ever want to be friends with me again, you'll need to apologize to both." 

"You can't possibly mean to say that you are in  _ love  _ with this jerk?" Obito growled pointing at Kakashi. 

Tenzo was tired of listening to Obito trash Kakashi. " _ Stop talking about him like that!"  _ He yelled, stepping forward. Kakashi still clung to his hand, and he wondered if he had made a mistake when Obito stepped forward as well. 

"Obito." Kakashi said quietly, and the older boy snapped his attention to him. 

"I know you loved Rin, and I'm sorry that she's gone… but she would _never_ have wanted to see you become this… this _bully_ that you are now. You _never_ hated me for being gay _before_ … so why is it so hard for you to stop _hating_ me? _I lost Rin_ _too_ , you know! And then… then I lost _you_ too." Kakashi ripped down his mask as it soaked through with tears, and Shisui draped himself over his shaking shoulders. It hurt Tenzo's heart to see Kakashi hurting so badly, and he stepped back towards his friend. 

"Kakashi… I'm s-sorry." Obito replied suddenly, his voice just as shaky as Kakashi's had been. Tenzo turned to see that the older boy was tearing up, his shoulders slumped and arms dropped down to his side. 

The silver-haired teen stepped forward slowly, removing himself from Shisui and Tenzo's side to approach Obito. He opened his arms in an offering, and Obito accepted. They hugged for a few moments, and then backed away again. 

"Hey… kid?" Obito said sheepishly as he looked at Tenzo. 

"Tenzo." He replied softly, trying to portray that he wasn't harboring any bad feelings towards the older kid. 

Obito huffed a laugh, rubbing one hand over the back of his neck nervously. "Tenzo… I'm sorry I've been such a jerk to you. It won't happen again." 

Tenzo smiled softly. When Obito was like this, he didn't remind him of Danzo at all. "It's okay. I forgive you." 

Obito seemed a bit shocked that he was so easily forgiven. "You do?" 

Maybe Tenzo should have made it a bit harder for him… but that was  _ far  _ from the worst thing that's ever happened to him. It wasn't even the worst he had been bullied. Tenzo shrugged, and smiled at him. "I do. You were far worse to Kakashi than you were to  _ me.  _ If he can forgive you… so can I." 

"Whoa." Obito said, watching Tenzo. "I wasn't sure that you were actually able to speak that much." 

Shisui and Kakashi both laughed, and Tenzo just shrugged again, smiling widely. "I only talk when I feel like it." 

Shisui ran over and wrapped him in a tight hug, almost knocking him off his feet in his enthusiasm. "Ah! My back." Tenzo squeaked, and Shisui released him immediately to apologize. 

"Your… back? That isn't  _ my  _ fault, is it?" Obito asked quietly. 

Tenzo answered before he thought about it. "Not really. My back was already broken when you slammed me against the lockers." 

Obito was practically green. "I… I didn't know." 

"It's fine." Tenzo spoke quietly as Shisui wrapped him up in a much more gentle hug. "I just had to rest it for a day. You didn't damage it any." 

Obito nodded slowly, and watched Shisui hug Tenzo. "So… are you sure you're gay, Shisui?" 

Shisui nodded, and made his argument. He tilted Tenzo's chin up, and waited for permission. He didn't need it. He  _ never  _ needed it. Tenzo would kiss Shisui any time, any place, and with anyone around. Tenzo moved first, and Shisui met him halfway, his tongue shooting past Tenzo's lips to run along his teeth. Shisui smelled and tasted delicious, and Tenzo ran his hands over Shisui's shoulders.

Obito let out an indignant squeak. "Alright, alright. I don't need to  _ see  _ it. Point taken."

"Obito, would you like to come over for dinner tonight?" Kakashi asked, changing the subject as Shisui and Tenzo finally separated. 

"I don't think I'm allowed at your house anymore." Obito said quietly. 

"It's alright. I'll text my dad and let him know. He'll call your grandma too." Shisui said with a smile. 

~

Obito walked home with them after school. Tenzo felt much more comfortable around him now, and even spoke to him a few times while they walked. The other boy seemed a bit confused when Tenzo followed Kakashi upstairs to put his stuff away, but stayed downstairs with Shisui. 

Once they were alone, Kakashi entered Tenzo's personal space and kissed him. It was exactly the kind of kiss Tenzo loved, with all of the passion forced through their connection. Kakashi's hands drifted under his shirt a small amount, his fingers dancing across Tenzo's skin and leaving goosebumps. When they separated, Kakashi's face was flushed. The other teen smiled brightly at him. "Thanks for standing up for me today, Tenzo. It means a lot to me." 

Tenzo huffed a laugh, his hands wrapped around Kakashi's biceps. "I guess we finally learned to stand up to him, huh?" 

"I guess so." Kakashi replied, kissing Tenzo on the end of his nose. 

Once they got back downstairs, the questions started. 

"So Tenzo, you live here with Kakashi?" Obito asked as Shisui dug through the stacks of movies. Tenzo nodded. 

"Why?" Obito asked, and both Shisui and Kakashi paused to look at him. Tenzo decided that Obito wouldn't stop asking questions until he got a real answer. 

"My guardian is the one who broke my back and ribs." He said simply. 

"Oh. So he must be in jail, then?" Obito asked quietly, having the decency to be embarrassed about his line of questioning. 

"Yeah. That's why we missed so much school." Shisui answered, finally finding whatever movie it was that he had been looking for. 

Obito dropped the subject, and settled on one end of the couch. Kakashi sat directly on the corner cushion, his legs spread in an invitation that Tenzo recognized. Obito had an eyebrow raised at the peculiar seating choice, until Tenzo sat between Kakashi's legs and leaned on him. Then,  _ both _ of his eyebrows were raised. Tenzo snuggled back against Kakashi's chest, enjoying the warmth as the bigger boy's arms wrapped around his stomach. 

Shisui sat between Kakashi and Obito after he finally put the movie in. 

"What are we watching?" Obito asked curiously, thankfully not saying anything about Tenzo and Kakashi cuddling on the couch. 

"Saving Private Ryan." Shisui announced happily. "Tenzo loves war movies. Don't you, Tenzo?" 

Obito watched Tenzo nod, and Kakashi kiss him on the cheek, but once again said nothing. It appeared that he was actually over whatever weird homophobic ideas he had in his head. 

They were halfway through the movie when Sakumo and Kagami walked in. Obito tensed up, but said nothing until an elderly lady walked in behind them. 

"Grandma?" He asked curiously, and Tenzo turned his head to see the older woman that Obito lived with. 

"Kagami, Sakumo, I would like to apologize for my grandson's behavior before." She said grumpily. Obito sank down into the couch, and Tenzo almost laughed. He had pretended to be such a tough guy before, but now he was practically hiding from an old lady. 

"Now, now, Lynn, if the boys have forgiven him, then so do we." Kagami said with a smile. "As long as he behaves, he will continue to be welcome here." 

Obito stood from the couch abruptly, rubbing the back of his neck again. "Uh… Uncle Kagami? Sakumo? I'd still like to say that I'm sorry for being such a jerk." 

Sakumo came around the front of the couch, Kagami and Lynn following close behind. He placed a strong hand on Obito's shoulder. "All is forgiven, Obito."

Shisui stood up and hugged the elder woman. Tenzo was certain that this woman wasn't  _ actually  _ Shisui's grandmother, (Though to be honest, the Uchiha clan was large and confusing) but he still referred to her as such.

The woman hugged him tightly, shaking him around. "Shisui! My sweet grandson! How are you?" 

"I'm good, Grandma Lynn. Better now that Obito and I have made up." Shisui answered with a smile. 

"And sweet little Kakashi! It's been so long since I've seen you! And  _ who _ is this adorable little one? Is this your boyfriend?" She cooed, pinching Tenzo's cheek uncomfortably. 

_ "Grandma."  _ Obito said, embarrassed by the older woman's forwardness. 

"It's not a crime to ask, Obito." The woman scolded, pointing a wrinkly finger at the older boy. 

"This is Tenzo." Sakumo said happily. "He's the newest member of our family." 

The woman held open her arms expectantly. "Tenzo, it's nice to meet you. Give me a hug, sweet boy." 

Tenzo stood nervously, a blush on his face. "O-okay." 

The old woman may have smelled like old mints and pocket lint, but her hug was warm and soft and everything Tenzo would expect from a grandmother. She leaned away, but held him by the shoulders. "Well, aren't you a handsome young man? How old are you, sweetheart?" 

Tenzo blushed brightly, embarrassed by the attention. "I'm 16 now." 

Apparently, speaking shyly made her like him more, as she made a high pitched noise right by his ear. "Oh! You'd better keep this one. He's too cute." 

Sakumo laughed loudly. "Don't worry. He's not going anywhere." 

Obito's grandmother sat by Tenzo all the way through dinner, asking him all sorts of questions about his school work, favorite colors, and movies that he liked. Thankfully, she only asked him one question about his family, and didn't pry when he essentially told her he had none. The whole ordeal was bizarre, and it didn't help that his friends kept shooting him teasing glances. 

~

Over the next week, Obito had become a regular at the Hatake household. He showed up at random times and didn't bother knocking. Twice he had walked in on Shisui and Tenzo making out on the couch, and once when Kakashi was kissing him against the wall. They weren't exactly giving him the  _ best  _ impression… but he could have solved that problem by knocking. 

Saturday morning, Tenzo and Kakashi were asleep upstairs when Shisui and Obito walked in. Tenzo was asleep on his stomach, a position finally comfortable again now that his back was fully healed, and Kakashi's arm was flung over his lower back. Tenzo cracked his eyes open at the intrusion, but didn't move. 

"Oh. You two share a bed. That's not weird at all." Obito mumbled sarcastically. Tenzo would have been offended if the other boy wasn't clearly teasing him. 

Kakashi groaned loudly, shifting and stretching without removing his arm. 

Obito held out a flat present, wrapped in green paper with a silver bow on it. "My grandmother wanted me to give this to you." 

"To  _ me? _ " Tenzo asked, dislodging Kakashi's arm so he could sit up.

Obito nodded. "Apparently, my grandma really likes you." 

Tenzo took the present from him. The only presents he had ever gotten in his life were the ones his new family had gotten him for his birthday a couple weeks back. It was still a strange concept. He flipped it around, admiring the reflection of the window in the shiny foil paper. 

"Are you going to open it?" Obito said curiously, as Shisui sat next to him on the bed. Shisui poked him in the side. "Open it, Tenzo." He said with a smile. 

Tenzo ripped the shiny green paper off, crinkling it and throwing it in the garbage bin near Kakashi's table. The gift was a 10x12 canvas, and when Tenzo flipped it over, there was a beautiful painting of the forest on it. Dead center was a wonderfully large oak tree, surrounded by flowers, ferns, and a variety of other trees. 

"She says that you remind her of a place she used to go when she was a kid. She wouldn't really explain how the hell you remind her of the forest, but there you go. She painted that for you." Obito said with a shrug. 

Tenzo ran his fingers over the painting, his eyes watering a bit. Shisui wrapped a hand around his shoulder, and he felt Kakashi peek around his back. 

"What's wrong? Don't you like it?" Obito asked.

Tenzo sniffled a little. "No one's ever made me anything before." He mumbled. 

Obito was more perceptive than anyone gave him credit for. Tenzo knew that the older boy had more than a few ideas about Tenzo's previous life. It showed every time a new bit of information slipped out. Obito had stopped prying. He had stopped asking for extra details, and Tenzo knew he had figured it out. The older boy had seen the rope burn on his wrists, had seen the way he had been  _ far  _ too skinny. He wondered how much he had guessed. He wondered how much of it his grandmother had been told. Had she asked Sakumo about his family? 

"Well, get used to it." Obito said with a smile, once again not asking about it. "I'm sure she'll be making you lots of things. That's just how she is. She used to make Rin all sorts of things too." 

Tenzo looked up suddenly. That was the first time Rin had been mentioned since Obito had been hanging around. 

Kakashi huffed a laugh from his side. Tenzo looked down to see Kakashi's beautiful face staring up at him. He still hadn't sat up, and had maneuvered himself onto his back, with his head next to Tenzo's leg. "Everytime we went over to Obito's, Rin had to put on one of the thirty sweaters Lynn had knitted for her."

Shisui chuckled. "And every time Obito brought her a present, he had to take a picture of her with it to send to grandma." 

"Oh! That reminds me!" Obito shouted, digging his phone out of his pocket. "Hold up the picture and smile, please." 

Shisui and Kakashi crammed into the picture, pressing their cheeks to Tenzo's and smiling with Tenzo's new portrait. 

Since Tenzo spent most of his time in Kakashi's room, they hung his picture up there. Tenzo often stared at it, wondering if it was some place that he would be able to visit someday. He had never been into the forest before. 

~

The next time Obito's grandmother came to dinner, she brought Tenzo a potted plant. "How did you like your painting?" She asked with a smile as Tenzo admired the tiny fern in his hands. He smiled brightly at the older woman. "I love it. Is it based on a real place?" He asked curiously. 

Lynn sat down on the couch next to him, close enough that their sides were touching. She sighed, staring out the window to the left. "Yes, actually. There's a place far out into the forest surrounding Konoha. It's a half hour walk from the city's entrance. I used to wander there all the time as a little girl. It was… peaceful. It had a wonderful aura around it, a feeling only true nature can bring. I haven't been there in twenty years." She replied, before turning back to Tenzo. "I don't know what it is. You make me think of that place again. You're such a calm and peaceful boy." 

Tenzo thought about her words, tentatively touching the leaves on the tiny plant. When he turned back to Lynn, she was smiling at him. 

"Can… can you take me there?" Tenzo asked quietly, excessively curious about the peacefulness of the forest. 

Grandma Lynn looked pleasantly surprised. "Well… I suppose I am due for another trip out there." She said, nodding her head. 

"Can we go too?" Kakashi asked from behind the couch, Shisui and Obito standing silently beside him. 

"Of course, boys." The old woman smiled. 

~

The next Saturday, Obito's grandmother drove the four boys to the very edge of town. It wasn't all that far from Sakumo's, and Tenzo did his best to remember the directions. 

The trek was rough, but Lynn seemed to remember the directions well enough. Obito kept trying to convince her to stop for breaks, but she refused. She was determined to see the place she used to seek refuge in. 

Tenzo was enjoying the trip. The birds were singing, the sun was out, and there was every shade of green imaginable out here. The air was so…  _ fresh _ . The wind ruffled his hair, and he felt all of his troubles slipping away the father out he went. He found himself looking around aimlessly, lost in all of the wonders of the wilderness he had never seen before. 

Tenzo knew the moment they had entered the tiny clearing. The older woman stopped moving, staring in awe at the massive oak tree. 

Tenzo's legs continued moving. He walked up to the tree slowly, marveling at the similarities between it, and the one from his painting. His fingers traced the bark carefully, the life contained within it almost calling to him. He jumped a little when Lynn touched his arm. 

"Thanks for dragging this old woman back out here, Tenzo." She said with a smile. 

"It looks a lot like my painting." Tenzo said happily.

Lynn hummed in agreement. "It's a bit more overgrown, and there are new flowers… but yes. It is very much the same place I used to run to as a young woman." 

Tenzo looked to her, watching the sadness cross her features. "Run to?" He asked quietly. 

Lynn looked behind them, seeing the other three boys chatting away amongst themselves. "Yes." She whispered. "When I was younger, about your age, I used to hide out here in the forest. My father worked for the steel plant, and we lived in a house right near where we left the car. He was…  _ not a nice man _ . My mother had died when I was very young, and was not there to protect me from him. This place… it was my haven." She spoke quietly. 

Tenzo closed his eyes for a moment, taking in the sounds and smells around him. "It's a wonderful place." He answered, just as quietly as she had been. "Thank you for sharing this with me." 

Lynn simply smiled, and closed her eyes, enjoying the cool breeze that drifted in through the trees. 

Tenzo mimicked her, keeping his eyes closed and enjoying himself. He knew that this wouldn't be the last time he came here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! For anyone interested, I've just gotten myself started on tumblr. I've already posted a couple sneak peeks at a couple other stories I'm writing that I haven't uploaded yet. Anyone interest in following me, I'm kakayamaforever. Thanks to all of you who have been sticking with me through this story.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whoops! This turned into a bit of a smutty chapter. My bad. 
> 
> One year later, the boys explore a bit as they come into sexual maturity.

1 year later

  
  


Tenzo was 17 the next time he went out to the forest. His birthday happened to fall on a Saturday, and Kakashi had packed them a small picnic. The trip was Kakashi's idea. The silver haired teen had been making plans for weeks, and finally settled on a forest picnic. (Shisui would be taking the brunette to the movies tomorrow.) They weren't much older than they were when all of this started, but Tenzo happily called both of them his boyfriends. 

Kakashi smiled at him as they walked through the trees, having left their bikes in the brush along the road. They held hands, a common occurrence now. Tenzo almost tripped several times, too busy admiring how the sunlight reflected off of Kakashi's silver hair instead of watching out for roots and rocks. 

Eventually, they found their way to the giant oak tree, laying out a blanket and digging into the salads and fruit that Kakashi had packed. Afterwards, they laid back to watch the clouds pass overhead, and listen to the wind rush through the trees. It was every bit as peaceful as Tenzo remembered. 

Kakashi propped himself up on his elbow, smiling down at Tenzo as his free hand traced random patterns on his stomach. Kakashi's fingers left a trail of heat behind them, and Tenzo had to fight not to get an erection. 

"I was thinking…" Kakashi spoke randomly, getting that gleam in his eye that told Tenzo he was up to something. "Maybe we could try something  _ new _ today." 

Tenzo smirked. "Oh yeah? Let me guess… you read about it in Icha-Icha?" 

Kakashi flushed red immediately, staring down at Tenzo's dark blue shirt. "Maybe." He mumbled. 

Tenzo huffed a laugh. "Did you  _ atleast  _ learn it from the yaoi edition?" None of them had done much together sexually, other than making out and some light touching. Tenzo had known from the beginning that they were going to take it slow, but he was ready to move forward. In fact, he _ had been _ for quite a while. 

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Of course." 

"Well, what is it?" Tenzo asked curiously. 

Kakashi pursed his lips and went back to tracing patterns over Tenzo's shirt. "Maa… I don't want to say it  _ out loud _ . Too embarrassing." 

Tenzo laughed, rolling and propping himself up on one arm to watch Kakashi. "Then  _ show  _ me." 

Kakashi's eyebrows raised. "Are you sure?" 

"I'm  _ sure  _ that I'll have blue balls for the rest of my life if we don't try  _ something  _ soon." Tenzo teased, leaning in to give the other teen a peck on the lips. 

Kakashi laughed loudly, the wonderful sound echoing through the trees. He scooted closer to Tenzo, close enough that their hips were almost touching, and leaned in to capture his lips in a deep kiss. 

Kakashi went to slide his hand under Tenzo's shirt and paused for permission, an action Tenzo was familiar with. He nodded quickly, barely breaking the kiss to do it, and the pale hand slid up his shirt to play with the newly developed muscles there. It had taken a lot of work on Tenzo's part to overcome the malnutrition he had been suffering from, and he was now in the best shape he had ever been in. 

After playing with Tenzo's skin for a bit, Kakashi's hand paused by the button on his pants. As long as they had been dating, neither of his boyfriends had been brave enough to get in his pants. It was  _ always  _ over the pants, or in rare cases, over the boxers he was wearing. He knew they were just worried, but none of those things bothered Tenzo. They  _ weren't  _ Danzo. He knew that. Every single thing they did was  _ so  _ much different than that man had been. Kakashi could probably tie him to a tree and  _ take _ him now, and he  _ still _ wouldn't be reminded of the man. The only thing that made him remember, was the constant pausing and nervousness they exhibited. So when Tenzo nodded, and Kakashi unbuttoned his pants, he had hoped that was permission enough. It wasn't. Kakashi paused at the zipper. 

Tenzo nodded one more time, growing a bit impatient as his dick grew larger just from the  _ thought  _ of what Kakashi might have in mind. 

Tenzo sighed loudly when Kakashi paused at the waistband of his pants. He pressed his forehead to Kakashi's, gazing intently into the steel orbs. "Kakashi… if you don't quit pausing and take my damn pants off, I'm going to tackle you into the dirt. Nothing you could  _ possibly  _ have planned is going to upset me. So please… get on with it." 

Kakashi laughed so hard that he snorted, and took a moment to gain some control again. "Nothing?" He asked, just to be sure. 

Tenzo smiled, and rolled his eyes at his overprotective boyfriend. "Kakashi… you could try to shove one of those  _ trees  _ up my ass and I'm  _ still _ going to be okay." 

Kakashi's eyebrows shot up almost past his hairline, the teen unable to hide his shock at Tenzo's bold statement. 

It worked. Kakashi pulled Tenzo's pants  _ and  _ his boxers down, careful not to catch the clothing on Tenzo's rather large erection. A warm hand encased him, and he couldn't help the gasp that escaped his throat. No one had ever touched him there. Not really. Danzo hadn't touched it other than the many times he was punched or kicked in the crotch, and obviously  _ this  _ was much better than  _ that _ . 

Tenzo reached down blindly for Kakashi's pants, only to find that they were already pulled down when his hand ran straight into the other boy's shockingly hard dick. His hand was gently slapped away quickly, and he opened his eyes to see Kakashi staring at him, his eyelids droopy and his eyes glazed over. 

The other boy looked down, and Tenzo followed his gaze. Kakashi pressed his erection up against his own, wrapping his hand around both. An incredibly embarrassing moan rang out through the forest, and Tenzo was fairly certain he had died and gone to heaven as Kakashi's weirdly wet dick slid alongside his own. 

_ Precome _ . Tenzo's mind supplied after a moment. That's why it's wet down there. Tenzo was sweating, and all his blood was still trying to travel down south as he rapidly approached the edge, Kakashi's warm hand continuing to pump faithfully as Tenzo tried his hardest not to hump his boyfriend's hand. Another loud moan and Tenzo was coming all over Kakashi's hand, suddenly very glad that they were far away from the city limits. 

Tenzo looked down at the mess he had made. His eyebrows raised. That was  _ way  _ more than he could make on his own. He met Kakashi's gaze. The boy was breathless just like Tenzo, and sweating as he dropped himself onto his back clumsily. They had orgasmed  _ together _ , Tenzo realized, and couldn't manage to keep the smile off of his face. That was the most wonderful thing he had ever felt, and he intended to tell Kakashi exactly that… as soon as he could speak properly again. 

After a moment or two, Kakashi pulled a towel out of the picnic basket. Tenzo laughed breathily as his boyfriend cleaned them up, making a face at the filthy towel before hiding it away. "I hope that was okay." Kakashi commented with a shy smile. 

Tenzo put a hand on either side of the pale jaw kiss Kakashi mercilessly. He pulled away, and made sure Kakashi was looking at him. "It was  _ more  _ than okay. In fact, I think we're going to quit school so that we can just do  _ that  _ all day." 

Kakashi's unexpected laugh caused him to snort again, and he blushed as the sound made Tenzo smile uncontrollably. It was adorable… even more so because it was so rare. "Okay." The other boy replied. "But you get to tell my dad." 

~

Tenzo held onto his bag of popcorn as Shisui led him to the top seats in the movie theater. During the morning, this particular theater replayed older movies and was almost always empty. 

Today, Shisui and Tenzo were the only ones who had shown up to watch "Jaws". Shisui had known it was one of Tenzo's favorite movies, and brought him to watch it on the big screen. 

They hadn't made it too far into the movie when the attendant walked in silently to check on them. As soon as he was gone, Shisui turned and pulled Tenzo in for a passionate kiss. Kissing Shisui had always been one of Tenzo's favorite things. The other boy was so extremely passionate… and  _ handsy. _ He still paused, much like Kakashi, but once he was under Tenzo's shirt… he was going to touch  _ everything _ . No nipple was left behind as Shisui teased him relentlessly, hardly releasing his mouth to get more air. 

Finally, the Uchiha pulled away enough to speak. "I'd like to try something new." Shisui spoke softly, nuzzling into Tenzo's jaw. Tenzo couldn't help but laugh, knowing that Kakashi and Shisui had probably planned this out at length. He also couldn't help all of the blood that was rushing down to his dick as he was reminded of his forest romp with Kakashi. 

"Oh? Let me guess…  _ you _ learned this in Icha-icha too?" Tenzo said with a smile before kissing along that wonderful jawline. 

Shisui chuckled, moving his head to the side to give Tenzo access to his neck. The brunette made sure not to leave any marks as he kissed the other boy's soft skin. (For their parents' sanity, they made considerable effort to be discreet.) "Yes. It wasn't in the yaoi edition… but I think you'll enjoy it just fine." Shisui said excitedly. The wheels were turning in his brain as he tried to imagine what Shisui could possibly have in mind. It didn't take long for him to figure it out as the other boy left his seat, sitting on his knees between Tenzo's legs. 

Shisui waited with a smirk on his face for Tenzo's approval. The brunette couldn't nod fast enough, his excitement through the roof already as he set the popcorn in the seat next to him.

Shisui chuckled, and dove in. Apparently Kakashi had mentioned the pausing ordeal to him, because he didn't hesitate once as he removed all of the barriers between his mouth and Tenzo's dick. 

He watched with wide eyes as Shisui leaned in, one hand around his erection, and licked the tip slowly. Tenzo gasped, using what little focus he could retain to keep his hips from jumping out of the seat. 

Shisui continued, licking a stripe from the base all the way to the tip. Tenzo had to shove part of his fist into his mouth just to keep from being too loud. 

Then, it happened. Shisui took half of Tenzo's cock into his mouth, encasing it in a wet warmth that made his brown eyes try to roll into the back of his head. The wet mouth moved up and down while Shisui pressed his tongue up against the underside, and Tenzo almost lost it when Shisui hummed softly. Tenzo could taste blood as his teeth accidentally broke the skin on one of his knuckles in an effort to not draw any attention to themselves. 

Then, it was over. Tenzo was caught off guard and accidentally shot his load right into his boyfriend's mouth. Shisui wasn't prepared for it either, coughing a bit but managing to swallow most of it. He wiped the rest off of his chin with a smile and licked it up while Tenzo watched him owlishly. 

Tenzo felt like he had melted, his body ready to slide out of the chair and pool onto the floor as Shisui returned to his seat. 

"Holy shit, Shisui." Tenzo said breathily. "That was awesome." 

Shisui beamed at him, running a hand through his hair and pulling him in for a kiss. Tenzo almost recoiled when he remembered what had just been in Shisui's mouth, but settled for wrinkling his nose instead as their lips met. After all, he could never say no to a kiss from Shisui. 

"Happy birthday, Tenzo." Shisui murmured as their lips parted. Tenzo couldn't have wiped the smile off of his face if he had wanted to as he replied. "Mmm. Happy birthday indeed. Thank you, Shisui." 

They continued to kiss each other until they heard the door open again. The attendant took a quick look around, then disappeared. Tenzo smirked at his boyfriend before leaving his seat to kneel between his legs. He had never seen Shisui's eyes so wide. 

"Your turn." Tenzo said with a wink, before delving in to move his boyfriend's pants. 

~

Homecoming was a lot different this year. Firstly, Shisui didn't give a rat's ass about kissing girls. He still danced with some of them, but it was much more appropriate and more like he was dancing  _ near  _ them. Secondly, Tenzo was actually able to participate. He danced with Shisui. He danced with Kakashi. He even danced with  _ Gai  _ when the giant asked him all awkwardly. 

When any of them weren't dancing, they would stand by the punch and chat with Obito. Currently, Tenzo was standing with him, trying desperately to not get an erection as he watched Shisui and Kakashi make out on the dancefloor. 

"You know you're  _ drooling _ , right?" Obito teased.

Tenzo blushed, but continued watching the show. They looked good together. Kakashi wore a black dress shirt with a teal tie, and Shisui wore a teal dress shirt with a black tie. Tenzo knew he looked just as good. Shisui had him wearing a teal shirt and black tie too. Shisui had even joked that they were the girlfriends and Kakashi was the boyfriend. It worked. They looked  _ good.  _ Tenzo looked over at Obito, who was still smirking at him. "Be quiet… or I'll tell Shisui you wanted a lap dance." 

Obito's eyes went wide and his face turned red as Tenzo laughed at him. Mostly because he knew for a fact that Shisui wouldn't hesitate if Tenzo asked him to do such a thing. Obito knew it too. 

Kagami and Sakumo were in their usual posts by the wall, doing their best to avoid watching their kids make out with each other. Tenzo  _ almost  _ felt bad. They made a considerable effort to be appropriate around the parents. But really, this was a special occasion. 

So when Kakashi and shisui made their way back over after the song ended, he didn't hesitate when Shisui walked straight into his arms. They kissed, because  _ of course  _ Tenzo wasn't going to let a chance to kiss the other boy pass him by. He ran his hands from the back of Shisui's broad shoulders all the way down to his tight ass. Shisui was still very fit, and he worked hard to keep it that way. Shisui hummed appreciatively. "Miss me?" He asked teasingly.

"Always." Tenzo replied with a smile. 

"Are you guys going to Asuma's party?" Obito asked, mostly directing his attention towards Kakashi since the other two were…  _ busy _ . 

Kakashi smiled at his friend, mask long gone. The other boy had  _ finally  _ moved on from Rin's death (with Obito's help) and stopped wearing the mask entirely. It helped that whenever girls saw fit to flirt with him, Shisui and Tenzo swooped in to save him. 

"I don't see why not. Sounds like fun." Kakashi said happily. Since it was Asuma's final year in school, he would undoubtedly throw a party for any little thing that was happening. Back to school party?  _ Check _ . Start of football season party?  _ Check _ . Homecoming party?  _ Check.  _

They had gone to all of them so far, and there wasn't a real reason to stop now. 

"We'll have to go get something to sleep in." Shisui piped in.

"Oh. I could drive you guys." Obito offered. 

Tenzo thought for a moment. "Can't we just sleep in our underwear?" 

Shisui and Kakashi were quiet for a moment.  _ Of course _ , it hadn't slipped Tenzo's mind that he used to be  _ required  _ to sleep in his underwear under Danzo's roof. His boyfriends apparently hadn't forgotten that either. 

"Are you sure?" Kakashi asked. A normal question to Obito, but for Shisui and Kakashi… it meant more than that. Tenzo nodded happily, and the other two relaxed. Obito seemed to pick up on the tense atmosphere and went to talk to Gai for a moment. 

Shisui moved away and allowed Kakashi to take his place in Tenzo's arms. The Uchiha left to tell their parents that they would be staying at Asuma's, and no doubt getting another refresher course on the rules. Kakashi nuzzled his cheek. "You're sure?" He asked. 

Tenzo met his gaze, getting lost in those beautiful dark eyes. "Of course. I wouldn't have suggested it if I wasn't. Don't worry about me so much." Tenzo replied with a soft smile. 

Kakashi huffed a laugh. "How can I not worry about you? You're very important to me, and your feelings matter." 

Tenzo placed his hands on the sides of Kakashi's neck and connected their foreheads. "I know, Kakashi." He answered, smiling softly. 

~

Asuma's house was  _ insane _ . His parties had been getting bigger and bigger every time. He was a senior now, and the star of the football team.  _ Everyone  _ wanted to be his friend. Newer and younger teenagers were showing up all the time, and it almost made it impossible to just hang out with the core group. Still, it was a lot of fun. 

There must've been 100 people at the house when they pulled up in Obito's car. Asuma's father was out of town this time around, but the house guards were not. Their job was to make sure everyone stayed inside, and to ensure everyone got to bed safely. It wasn't an easy job. 

The three boys secured a room right at the beginning, writing their names on the whiteboard attached to the door and placing their stuff inside. It would be at least 5 people to a room by the end of the night, even with some people having their parents picking them up later. 

It was hot as hell inside the house, and Shisui threw his shirt off immediately. Kakashi was all over him, rubbing his hands along the newly revealed skin and tasting Shisui's lips. 

Tenzo chuckled. "Come on, you two. We haven't even been to the actual party yet." 

Kakashi pouted but ultimately released Shisui from his grasp so they could go downstairs. 

Asuma's house was  _ super hot.  _ Beyond warm. Why? Tenzo didn't know. Too many bodies in one space perhaps. The music was loud, the food was awesome, but the heat was unbearable. Within half an hour, Tenzo and Kakashi had left their shirts behind, and half the rest of the guests were in their underwear. 

When he found Shisui again, he wasn't surprised to see him playing poker in his boxer-briefs. The boy winked at him across the table, and Tenzo's heart melted a bit. 

There were plenty of people here he didn't know, and the farther he made it into the group of people, the more there were. A girl tapped on his shoulder, and he turned to see a pink-haired girl that he recognized as a freshman. Her blonde friend giggled beside her, the drink in her hand already sloshing around. "Hey, um… I saw you talking to that boy over there." The girl spoke loudly, pointing over to a shirtless Kakashi who was talking to Gai and Obito. Obito was in his boxers, and Gai was somehow still fully dressed in his obnoxious green workout suit. 

"I was wondering if you know whether he has a girlfriend or not?" She asked, her face going as pink as her hair. 

The blonde giggled again. "Yeah! We think he's super sexy!" 

Tenzo fought the urge to roll his eyes. He had always found younger girls…  _ annoying.  _ "You mean Kakashi? With the silver hair?" 

They both nodded enthusiastically. 

Tenzo smiled. "He doesn't have a girlfriend." He answered, then paused, just to be a jerk. They both got excited, so he finished the thought. "Because he's  _ super  _ gay. He's in a three-way relationship with two other boys." 

Both of the girls stared at him in shock, until the blonde one frowned. "No way! He's  _ way  _ too cute to be gay!"

Tenzo raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah?" He turned, hoping Kakashi was looking their direction. He was, so Tenzo waved him over. The girls were practically vibrating with excitement as Tenzo's beautiful boyfriend walked up. 

"I'm Ino!" The blonde one shrieked immediately. "And this is Sakura!" 

Kakashi raised his eyebrows, and looked at Tenzo. The brunette shrugged. "They didn't believe me when I told them you were gay." 

Kakashi smirked, only because he undoubtedly knew that Tenzo enjoyed proving it by example. So both girls looked about to pass out at Kakashi's smile, but looked depressed when he grabbed Tenzo and pulled him in for a sloppy kiss. Their bodies pressed together tightly, and when they finally pulled away, Tenzo was sure he saw at least Ino wiping blood from her nose. 

"I'm Kakashi, and this is one of my boyfriends, Tenzo." The other boy introduced himself smoothly, still gripping Tenzo's hips. 

Sakura huffed. "Well, maybe the other guy is single?" She asked, and Tenzo had to bite his tongue when she pointed  _ directly  _ at a mostly naked Shisui, who had taken Kakashi's spot by Obito. 

Kakashi didn't manage to contain himself, and laughed hysterically. Tenzo thought that the girls would probably be scowling at him if they weren't so entranced by Kakashi's laugh. 

"That's our other boyfriend." Tenzo said with a smile. 

"Prove it." Ino said angrily. "You can't be dating  _ every  _ hot guy at this party!" 

Tenzo laughed as Kakashi waved Shisui over. Shisui was already smiling when he made it over, draping himself over the two of them. "Who are your new friends?" He asked, stopping to look at the girls. 

"They want to know if you're single." Tenzo said, fighting and failing to stop from giggling. Shisui rolled his eyes. "Do I need to wear a  _ sign _ or something? I've already been asked that  _ three  _ times." 

He pulled kakashi from Tenzo's arms and latched onto his throat, grinding their hips together violently and grabbing the other boy's ass. Kakashi couldn't do much other than gasp loudly, running his hands through Shisui's wavy hair. 

After a moment, Shisui looked back to Ino and Sakura. He gestured towards Iruka, Genma, Gai, and Obito. "All of them are single  _ and  _ straight. Try your luck over there." 

The Uchiha met Tenzo's gaze, his black eyes smoldering with lust. "Let's go upstairs." He said with a predatory smile. 

Kakashi and Tenzo couldn't follow him fast enough as the giggling trio ran up to the bedroom. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm thinking I can probably wrap this one up in one more chapter. We will see! 
> 
> If you want to see sneak peeks of other stories I am currently writing, follow me on tumblr   
> @kakayamaforever


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, I started the smut... and apparently am continuing it here. Enjoy! Another series of firsts for the boys.

Tenzo stretched slowly on the bed, a task that was harder than it should be since Kakashi was draped over him bodily. The bed was a bit emptier than usual, since Shisui had gone to some Uchiha family reunion with Obito and his father. Sakumo had accompanied them, having grown up around the family and married one of their members. Kakashi, however, had sprained his ankle earlier in the week, and elected not to hobble around all day. 

Of course, Shisui had suggested that Tenzo keep him company, winking and making lewd gestures that got him smacked on top of his head by Kagami's newspaper. 

They were all 18 now. They were all seniors. Sakumo and Kagami wouldn't tell them how to live their lives, but Kakashi still assured them nothing would be going on. Tenzo knew it was a lie. Truthfully, they couldn't keep their hands off of each other. But why would they tell their parents  _ that _ ? It was much better to let them think they were all still innocent… regardless of the fact that Kakashi had blown Shisui not even an hour earlier upstairs. 

Even still, Shisui hadn't known that in the back of Tenzo's sock drawer, was a brown bag with a shiny bottle of lube. He had picked it up the only time he was ever left alone. Present shopping for Kakashi. He had ended up buying him a new sweatshirt that had a wonderful picture of wolves on it, but kept the lube hidden in his pocket until he could make it back to his room. 

Tenzo had concerns. He had done his research, and knew that things going…  _ inside him _ … was supposed to feel  _ good.  _ It had never felt good before. He kept telling himself  _ that was different. It's not the same thing. _ Surely, it would feel good if it was Kakashi or Shisui, right? 

Even knowing that things would be different, Tenzo was scared. He decided the best course of action was to try it out himself. He had been practicing alone in the bathroom while everyone was asleep. It was easiest on the nights that Shisui stayed over. Kakashi would turn, cuddle up to the other boy, and Tenzo could escape unnoticed. 

It took a while, but after some careful practicing, he had found that it felt quite wonderful. 

Kakashi finally stirred from his nap, the bare skin of his torso rubbing on Tenzo's body as he shifted around. Tenzo chuckled, pushing some silver hair out of his face. "About time you woke up. I thought you were going to sleep away all of our alone time." 

Kakashi grumbled a little bit, but turned his head so his lips were pressed to Tenzo's chest instead. The brunette's heart was beating a million miles a minute, and he wondered if Kakashi could sense how anxious he was. 

It wasn't until Kakashi's silver eyebrows raised that he realized his  _ anxiousness  _ wasn't quite as obvious as the erection Tenzo was sporting. 

_ Embarrassing.  _

"Well… I guess I should make up for wasting so much of our time together." Kakashi replied, sitting up slightly and trailing his fingers down Tenzo's stomach. His muscles twitched at the stimulation, knowing the implications of where Kakashi was headed. Even so, he reached out to still the wandering hands. 

"Kakashi… I've been thinking. Maybe we could… do things a little  _ different  _ today?" Tenzo asked, nervous that Kakashi wouldn't want to take a leap forward. Because it  _ would  _ be a  _ leap _ , not a step. They had never done any sort of penetration. It was all blowjobs and handjobs. Tenzo wanted to skip straight to sex. Maybe Kakashi didn't  _ want  _ that. 

"Oh? And what did you have in mind?" Kakashi asked, leaning down to press lazy kisses into Tenzo's toned stomach. 

Tenzo tried to keep his breathing steady as he reached into Kakashi's nightstand. He had moved his dirty little secret to the new location after the rest of their family had left earlier that morning. He pulled the now half-empty bottle out, and watched Kakashi's dark eyes widen. 

"Where did you get  _ that _ ?" Kakashi asked, probably curious why so much of it was missing. 

Tenzo blushed brightly, and refused to meet Kakashi's gaze. "I bought it. When I was shopping for your birthday present." 

"But it's half empty." Kakashi deadpanned, watching Tenzo closely. 

If his face got any more blood rushing to it, he might pass out. "I uh… I've been practicing." 

It was Kakashi's turn to be flustered. "P-practicing?" He croaked. "Like… on  _ yourself? _ " 

Kakashi glanced meaningfully down towards Tenzo's waist, and suddenly the brunette wasn't sure if Kakashi thought he was jerking off with it. "Uh…  _ in  _ myself would probably be more accurate." 

Kakashi dropped his face down onto Tenzo's stomach suddenly, as if his boyfriend's declaration had straight up knocked him unconscious. Kakashi's blush had always been adorable, and Tenzo couldn't help but smile.

"If you don't want to… that's okay." Tenzo reassured him, running a hand through Kakashi's hair. He knew the other boy still had a hard time saying things out loud…  _ especially  _ dirty things. 

"You uh… want me to… with my fingers? Or…?" He asked without looking up. Tenzo knew Kakashi was probably as red as a tomato just from saying "fingers", and decided to not make him say anything else embarrassing. 

"Would you be opposed to  _ either  _ of those?" Tenzo asked sheepishly. "Because I was thinking… I'd like the second option." 

Kakashi picked his head up, and stared into Tenzo's brown eyes. "As long as  _ you  _ are ready for that, Tenzo. Don't rush yourself into anything." 

Tenzo smiled, cupping Kakashi's jaw with his hand. "I won't." 

After some serious making out and grinding on each other, Kakashi snuck downstairs to see if his father had any condoms. Tenzo hadn't even  _ thought  _ about that, or he might have bought some himself. 

_ Perhaps he would make that investment later. _

He didn't know what to do while Kakashi was gone. Should he just get started? Would Kakashi want to  _ watch _ ? Shisui would… without a doubt. But Kakashi? Maybe. Tenzo decided that maybe he would just stick with the first finger while Kakashi was gone. 

Tenzo heard careful footsteps on the stairs as he was pressing his first finger into his ass. He had underestimated how shocked Kakashi would be when he walked back into the room. Kakashi stood in the doorway, owlish eyes glued to the hand Tenzo had down between his legs. He was frozen, and Tenzo started to have doubts. His hand paused, even if it would feel good to continue… none of that mattered if  _ Kakashi  _ wasn't ready. 

"If you don't  _ want  _ to…" Tenzo started, feeling his confidence draining away by the second. 

Kakashi swallowed, and slowly crossed the distance between the door and the bed, careful not to keep too much weight on his mostly healed ankle. "No… I was just surprised." He answered calmly, climbing onto the bed by Tenzo's legs instead of up by his head. Apparently, he was enjoying the view, because those steel eyes were still locked on Tenzo's tight hole. 

Tenzo took that as a complement, confident in his body image and knowing he definitely looked good. He would put on a show for his boyfriend. His hand moved again, his lone finger sliding in and out until he felt comfortable enough to add a second one. Now, it started to feel  _ good _ , and Tenzo couldn't help the little noises he made as he stretched himself open. 

Kakashi practically vibrated with excitement, his eyes wide as he sat there. His pale hand reached out slowly, touching Tenzo's leg as if he thought he would mess up Tenzo's progress. 

"Kakashi… you can touch me wherever you want." Tenzo said breathily, hoping beyond hope that his boyfriend's pale fingers would travel up to where his dick was practically jumping with excitement. 

He was rewarded instantly when Kakashi leaned forward, his hand snaking up Tenzo's thigh and around to his weeping erection. The pleasure of being touched while fingering himself was almost too much, and he moaned embarrassingly loud. 

As much as he hated the noise, it seemed to spur Kakashi on, who was crawling closer and kissing his inner thigh. Tenzo knew that Kakashi found confidence sexy, and he tried his best to maintain his. 

"Can I… uh…?" Kakashi asked wordlessly, gesturing towards the fingers Tenzo had buried inside of him. Tenzo chuckled, using his free hand to pass the lube over. 

Once Kakashi had his finger slicked up, he froze again, gulping nervously. Tenzo helped him out, using his free hand to guide Kakashi's hand down between his legs. "It's alright, Kakashi. Just go slow." 

It was  _ easily  _ ten times better having someone else's fingers moving around inside of him. His nerve endings were on fire, and Kakashi grew more confident with every moan he drew from Tenzo's lips. 

Kakashi watched hungrily as two of his fingers disappeared, swallowed up by Tenzo's greedy body as he writhed and moaned. His boyfriend stretched him meticulously, and he knew that if he allowed it, he could come from this. It felt absolutely wonderful. 

"Kakashi… I think I'm ready." Tenzo spoke as evenly as he could between moans. He knew if his voice shook, the other boy would have doubts. He didn't want Kakashi to worry about him. Not for this. 

It worked. Kakashi blushed, pulling his fingers from inside of Tenzo. "How do we… ah. What should I do?" 

He almost laughed at the adorable shyness Kakashi still maintained, but then his thoughts drifted to Kakashi's still sore ankle. "Lay down." Tenzo replied, watching as the other boy quickly acquiesced. 

The brunette kissed up and down Kakashi's body as his boyfriend rolled the condom on, trying to keep his nerves from getting the best of him. He  _ wanted this _ , so badly. But he also didn't want to screw it up. What if Kakashi didn't like it? 

All doubts flew from his mind when he settled over the other teen and rubbed lube onto his covered cock. Kakashi moaned just from that, and Tenzo knew he would  _ love  _ what was coming next. He would make sure of it. 

Tenzo lowered himself slowly, allowing Kakashi to slowly breach him and stretch him wide. Pale fingers dug into his thighs, and he could swear Kakashi's eyes were trying to roll into the back of his head. At this point, Tenzo was just thankful that he had the forethought to look all of this up online, and his first time with Kakashi already felt wonderful. He stopped moving when he felt his ass hit Kakashi's hips, giving himself time to adjust to the new feeling. 

"A-are you okay?" Kakashi asked nervously, his fingers flexing as he fought to remain still. 

Tenzo laughed breathily, smiling at his boyfriend. "Yes. Just gotta wait a second before we start moving." 

Kakashi moved shaky hands along the flat planes of his stomach, squeezing his sides reassuringly as he nodded. 

When he finally started moving, Tenzo saw stars. His skin was sweating, and every time he lowered himself back down onto Kakashi, he felt this wonderful shock of pleasure spinning through his stomach. 

Kakashi had been rendered speechless, only letting out strangled moans that made Tenzo especially glad that Sakumo wasn't home. 

When Kakashi's hips snapped up to meet his for the first time, white hot pleasure shot through him, and he knew Kakashi had hit that special bundle of nerves that was hiding inside of him. 

_ "Oh my god _ ." Tenzo moaned. "Do that again." 

Kakashi did, and after shifting his legs a little to gain some leverage, he met every one of Tenzo's motions with a thrust of his own, driving the teens wild as they picked up their pace. 

A particularly sharp thrust blurred Tenzo's vision, and he felt the damn burst. He clenched violently, shooting his release all over his unsuspecting boyfriend. 

Tenzo thought he would be able to feel when Kakashi finished inside of him, but looking at the face that he recognized all too well by now, he knew that Kakashi was already in the midst of his orgasm. 

Kakashi's fingers dug into his hips, and Tenzo couldn't help but groan, his body feeling relaxed and loose after his orgasm. He took a moment to gather himself, breathing heavily. Tenzo carefully slid off of Kakashi's lap, dropping bodily onto the mattress without catching himself at all. 

"Holy fuck." Kakashi mumbled. "Are you okay? Was that alright?" 

Tenzo huffed a laugh. "I'm  _ way  _ more than okay. That was…  _ amazing. _ " 

"Thank fucking goodness." Kakashi mumbled to himself. "I was so worried." 

Tenzo rolled a little, just enough to press into Kakashi's side. "Don't worry about me so much. I love  _ everything  _ we do together." He said, finally taking a look at his boyfriend. Kakashi was a mess. Tenzo's come was all over his chest and stomach, his hair was an absolute disaster, and he still had the condom on. He was a sweaty, filthy mess, and Tenzo couldn't have been happier. "We should probably clean up. If Shisui sees us like this he might have a heart attack." 

Kakashi laughed. "Just wait until we tell him." 

They knew Shisui wouldn't care that they had taken the next step. Tenzo knew the first thing out of Shisui's mouth would be a complaint that he didn't get to watch. 

Kakashi and Tenzo didn't move for another five minutes, until finally, they admitted defeat and started to clean up. Kakashi went to the bathroom first, while Tenzo opened the window to help clear the air of the scent of sex and lube. 

Eventually, they were cleaned and dressed, but tired. They laid down together, legs intertwined and mouths exchanging lazy kisses. He couldn't have asked for a better first time with his boyfriend. "I love you." Tenzo whispered as his eyes started to drift shut. He felt Kakashi smile, his face buried in Tenzo's neck. "I love you too."

~

Tenzo woke up to soft lips on his forehead. He kept his eyes closed, squeezing Kakashi tightly with a smile. 

"Not even going to open your eyes for me?" A voice that was definitely  _ not  _ Kakashi's asked. Tenzo's eyes flew open, excitement building now that Shisui was home again. 

Kakashi chuckled, holding him hostage around his stomach as he tried to sit up. He squirmed, laughing and reaching out for his other boyfriend. Kakashi finally relented, releasing Tenzo so he could tackle Shisui. 

"Ah! Careful. I am sunburnt." Shisui replied, wincing as Tenzo touched his shoulders. 

"How'd you get a sunburn?" Kakashi asked, raising an eyebrow at the Uchiha. 

Shisui shrugged his shoulders. "There was a pool." 

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "You didn't swim in your underwear, did you?" 

Shisui laughed, hugging Tenzo tightly. "No. Obito brought an extra pair of shorts. So… what did you guys do all day?" 

Kakashi flushed red at the question, which made Shisui all the more interested in the answer. He looked to Tenzo, who was also having trouble answering. 

Shisui's eyebrows raised at that. Tenzo never had trouble answering something like that. 

Kakashi finally managed to answer. "We uh… had sex." 

Tenzo couldn't help the dopey grin that stuck to his face. 

"Really? And I  _ missed it _ ? Who did what? What did you  _ use _ ?" Shisui asked excitedly, dragging Tenzo over so they could sit down on the bed.

"Uh… Tenzo had some… lube." Kakashi managed, hiding his face from the onslaught of kisses Shisui was trying to give him. At the answer, Shisui's head whipped around to look at the brunette, who felt like all of his blood was in his face. "You  _ already had lube? _ " 

Tenzo nodded, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "I bought it so I could…  _ practice. _ " 

Shisui's jaw dropped. "That is  _ so  _ hot. You were on the bottom?" 

Tenzo was finally starting to lose his nervousness. "Ah… I kind of  _ rode him _ ." 

Shisui appeared to be malfunctioning, his smile far wider than Tenzo had ever seen it, and blinking far more than he should be. Finally, he wrapped an arm around each of them, pulling them both in so he could kiss their foreheads. "I'm very happy for you guys. You'll have to tell me  _ all  _ about it."

Shisui stood, leaving them on the bed. He turned, striking a dramatic pose with his hand on his hip and his ass jutted out. "So…" he started. "Which one of you wants to take  _ my  _ virginity?" He asked with a wink. Kakashi turned red immediately and buried his face in the pillow with a soft thunk, while Tenzo just laughed at Shisui's dramatics. 

~

Tenzo wanted Kakashi to be the one to take Shisui's virginity. He felt it was  _ meant  _ to be that way. If he had thought about it earlier, he might have waited until  _ they _ had sex together first before jumping Kakashi. The silver haired teen had been in love with Shisui for  _ so long _ , never expecting to be anything more than a make-out buddy. They were meant to be together, and Tenzo wanted to make it happen. 

When Tenzo offered to step aside for Kakashi to be his first, Shisui gave a counter-offer: Tenzo had to help him practice. So here he was, two fingers deep into Shisui's ass in the middle of the night, on the bathroom floor, hoping that Sakumo couldn't hear them downstairs. Shisui had covered his own mouth with his palm, trying his hardest not to make too much noise as Tenzo worked him open. 

Seeing Shisui like this was a reward in itself. The man was  _ beyond _ beautiful, his sweaty pale skin practically glowing in the moonlight, while his muscles contracted and twitched. He couldn't wait for Kakashi to see him like this, and wondered if this is what  _ he  _ looked like. 

After three fingers, Tenzo took pity on the other boy, using his free hand to jerk him off, though he hardly had to  _ touch  _ Shisui before he was shooting his load all over Tenzo's hand. 

When they returned to Kakashi's room, he was awake and waiting for them. "How'd it go?" He asked sleepily, reaching out for them both. 

Shisui dropped himself down onto the bed, exhausted, but smiling nonetheless. Tenzo couldn't help but be proud of himself for making Shisui look so utterly wrecked with just his fingers. 

"I can't  _ wait _ to have your dick in my ass." Shisui announced, enjoying the embarrassed blush Kakashi failed to hide in his pillow. There was a barely audible "don't say it like  _ that"  _ mumbled into the pillow. 

Tenzo laughed, crawling over both of his boyfriends to cushion himself against the wall behind Kakashi. 

~

The next Saturday morning, Tenzo packed up a couple sandwiches into his backpack, trying to get ready to leave  _ and  _ dodge Shisui's distracting kisses. He made it out of the kitchen, only to be captured by Kakashi around the corner. He laughed, trying to weasel his way out of his boyfriend's hold. "Come on, you guys. I want to get out there before it gets too hot." 

Tenzo was going to spend some time out at Grandma Lynn's clearing, leaving Shisui and Kakashi behind for some  _ alone time  _ while Kagami and Sakumo were at work. Shisui and Tenzo had been "practicing" every night the last week, though it was more for fun than for actual practice. Tenzo had shown Shisui how to prepare himself, and the other boy was  _ more than excited  _ to take the next step. 

"Alright, alright." Kakashi said with a smile. He leaned in to give him one more goodbye kiss. Tenzo wouldn't be out that long, but he seriously enjoyed his time out in the forest. It was a nice time for him to relax. In  _ this  _ case, he would probably just be imagining what was going on here at the house. After all, he  _ was  _ a horny teenager. 

He stepped out into the cool morning air, taking a deep breath. Tenzo smiled, fairly certain he just heard Kakashi squeak from inside. He could pretty much  _ guarantee _ that Shisui had tackled him as soon as the door shut. 

Tenzo set out, thankful that he had the ability to ride his bike towards the outskirts of the city. This was the first time he went on his own, and he'd be lying if he said he hadn't stopped out in front of Danzo's old house. Looking at the place, there was a new family living there, complete with kids playing out in the yard. They had no idea the horrors that Tenzo had been through in that house, and he wouldn't have it any other way. 

Tenzo got moving, excited to get his mind off of his past and start thinking about his future. He was going  _ to college _ . With his  _ boyfriends. _ Tenzo was going to study architecture, Kakashi was going to study literature, and Shisui wanted to be a teacher.  _ He couldn't wait.  _

Tenzo continued riding his bike with a smile, ignoring all the weird looks he got. He was too happy to care. 


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well i thought I would write a smidge of smut and then a bunch of fluff. Instead, it's more like a bunch of smut with a smidge of fluff 🤣
> 
> Anyway, sorry for the huge delay! I got bogged down with WIPs. I think I'm going to close this up in the next chapter. I hope it was worth the wait!

Kakashi watched as Shisui successfully distracted Tenzo from getting ready. He had no idea  _ when  _ he had fallen in love with Shisui. It had just been that way for as long as he could remember. 

Shisui made it difficult  _ not  _ to love him. Even back when they were three, and Shisui chased him around the yard with bugs, or when they were six, and had found that stray dog they tried to hide in the garage. Kakashi even loved him when they were nine, and Shisui somehow talked him into singing a duet for the talent show. 

Kakashi didn't  _ realize  _ he loved Shisui, until they were ten. After the accident, Shisui and Kakashi were even more inseparable. Shisui had pulled him through that, even with the loss of his  _ own  _ mother heavy on his shoulders. 

When they were 12, and Shisui kissed him for the first time, he had hope. It didn't matter. Shisui couldn't like him that way. Not really.  _ Not yet _ . 

It was after that when Shisui told Kagami that he thought he might be asexual. Kakashi would be eternally grateful that he was just a late bloomer.

Kakashi told Sakumo that he was gay when he was 13. His heart was still hurting, mourning the relationship with Shisui that he could never have, when he allowed Rin to get too close. 

When she died, Shisui was the one to practically rip his door off the hinges after he locked himself in his room. Shisui was always there, even after Obito screamed at him in the middle of the school hallway, calling him a murderer and a friend killer. 

Shisui… was an anomaly. Always open and honest, and purely good in a way Kakashi could only hope to be. 

Kakashi was there when Anko ran angrily from his room, and Shisui told his father point blank that she had tried to have sex with him. 

Shisui was the one to calm him down when Sakumo and Kagami caught them making out on the couch for the first time, with Kakashi's hand down the back of Shisui's pants. 

Shisui was the one to push him, to make him want to be a better person. Shisui made him believe that it might  _ actually  _ be possible.

Then there was Tenzo. 

Shisui was the one who pushed him to talk to the other boy. And now, here they were, Shisui kissing him while he was trying to make sandwiches. Tenzo had changed so much in the last two years. He was kind, and sweet. He had grown strong and confident, and Kakashi loved him  _ so much _ . 

So when Tenzo finally escaped from Shisui's barrage of kisses, Kakashi swooped in for his own. Tenzo was wonderful. He lit up Kakashi's life in ways he hadn't even known were possible, and most importantly, he had brought on a change in Shisui. Tenzo had made it so that now, when he swung the front door shut, Shisui suddenly looked at Kakashi like he would devour him like a steak. Those black eyes were trained on him, just like he had wanted them to be all along. 

Shisui tackled Kakashi down onto the couch, and he couldn't stop the embarrassing squeak from passing his lips. Shisui sprawled out on top of him, arms bracketing his head, and he had the most ridiculous smile on his face. Kakashi couldn't help but smile back, because Shisui's smile was infectious. Just as it had always been.

Despite the flying tackle Shisui had performed, they took it slow. Shisui kissed Kakashi so hard that he saw stars. Honestly, Shisui had  _ always  _ kissed Kakashi this way, even before they could truly be together. The reason was obvious. Shisui had loved Kakashi just as long. 

They kissed for a long time, tasting each other and running their hands over pale skin. After that, Kakashi chased Shisui up the stairs with a smile on his face. 

Once on the bed, it was Kakashi's turn to tackle Shisui. His boyfriend giggled as they went down to the mattress. Kakashi loved to kiss Shisui's paper-white skin, pulling the other boy's shirt up so he could nip at his abs. 

It wasn't long until they were naked, rolling around and exchanging kisses. Kakashi was on top, laying across Shisui's body with his waist settled between his thighs when his boyfriend reached for the lube. 

_ This was it. They were going to move forward.  _

Kakashi swallowed nervously. His first time with Tenzo had gone perfectly, but would Shisui enjoy this? Would he change his mind? Tenzo had been the one helping Shisui grow accustomed to the feeling. Kakashi hadn't seen how much he liked it. 

"Do you want to? Or do you want  _ me _ to?" Shisui asked, a crooked smile on his face as he noticed Kakashi's internal fight. 

Kakashi blushed at the implications, only managing to nod. Shisui laughed, because Kakashi actually hadn't answered the question at all. "How about I'll  _ start _ , and you can take over after a minute or two?" Shisui offered, shifting his hips so that he rubbed his length against Kakashi's. 

Kakashi groaned, forcing himself to move back so Shisui could get started. He couldn't possibly voice an answer to that without severely embarrassing himself. 

Shisui pressed in gently, his eyes drifting closed as he focused on opening himself up. His skin was already starting to shine with sweat. 

"You're beautiful, Shisui." Kakashi murmured, running his hands up the inside of Shisui's thighs. The other boy shivered under his touch, a small groan crossing his lips at Kakashi's declaration. 

Shisui was one of the most confident people Kakashi had ever known, but he never failed to react when Kakashi complimented him. Maybe it was because Kakashi rarely expressed his opinion so bluntly. 

Kakashi leaned in to kiss Shisui's legs while he worked. After a few nibbles, his boyfriend smacked him playfully on top of his head. "If you're gonna distract me like that, you might as well make yourself busy." Shisui said with a laugh, removing his fingers and handing Kakashi the lube. 

Kakashi just chuckled, coating his fingers generously with the lube before slowly pressing his first finger into Shisui. 

The other boy moaned softly, wiping his fingers on the towel they had nearby. "Oh god. It's just so much better when someone  _ else _ does it." Shisui said breathily, twisting his fingers into the sheets. Kakashi watched carefully, his eyes trained on his boyfriend's face as he added a second finger. 

Shisui really  _ was  _ beautiful. Kakashi had always thought so. However, as Shisui's face contorted in pleasure, his mouth open and skin slick with sweat, it was the most beautiful look he had ever seen on the other boy. 

Once Shisui started rocking back onto his fingers, he slowly added a third. His boyfriend was predictably loud, and Kakashi panicked for a moment, remembering that they had slept with the window open. 

Thankfully, it was closed, so he refocused on the task at hand, and the lustful noises Shisui couldn't seem to contain.  _ How had Tenzo managed to keep him so quiet in the bathroom?  _ That question answered itself when Shisui flung his hand over his mouth, dulling his moans down to a more appropriate level. Kakashi chuckled, pausing in his movements. He wanted to hear Shisui's wonderful noises… but how could he say that out loud? Instead, he reached up with his free hand, pulling on his arm until he got the hint and uncovered his mouth. 

"Right. No one's home." Shisui mumbled, wiping some sweat off his face. Kakashi started moving again, a smile on his face as his free hand moved to grab Shisui's cock instead. The other boy was clearly caught off guard, because when Kakashi closed his hand around his erection, Shisui exploded all over his stomach. The sound was fantastic, but coupled with the view Kakashi had from between the boy's legs… he could see why some couples found it hard to leave the bedroom. 

Shisui breathed heavily, Kakashi's fingers motionless inside of him and his legs shaking. 

"Holy shit." Shisui sighed. 

Kakashi removed his fingers slowly, enjoying the small whine that Shisui made at the loss. "We can stop now, Shisui." Kakashi murmured fondly, wiping Shisui's mess carefully with the towel. He figured the other boy would be too tired to continue.

His boyfriend lifted his head off the mattress, looking at Kakashi like he had just suggested they cut off his arm. "Kakashi." He said with a laugh. "If you don't get inside me soon, I'll jump you and ride you like Tenzo did." 

Kakashi stumbled over a response, his face red. Ultimately, he knew he couldn't refuse Shisui.  _ Wouldn't even dream  _ of refusing Shisui. "O-Okay." He finally answered, grabbing the bottle of lube again. Shisui was stretched enough, and Kakashi was getting anxious waiting. 

Kakashi settled himself over Shisui, kissing him softly and lining himself up. Looking down at his flushed boyfriend, who smiled brightly back at him, Kakashi pressed in slowly. Shisui's face tightened a bit while he focused on relaxing other parts of his body. 

Kakashi could hardly manage to hold himself up. It was  _ tight _ , and insanely warm, and he wasn't sure how he managed to push in without blowing his load already. 

Shisui moaned softly, his legs still shaking and his finger digging into Kakashi's shoulders. Once he was fully inside, he waited. "Are you okay?" Kakashi asked, moving one hand to gently brush Shisui's hair out of his face. 

"Y-yeah. I'm good." Shisui answered, his voice breathy and strained. Even though Kakashi was still nervous, he knew his boyfriend would never lie to him. He pulled back slowly, shaking with the effort to go slow, and groaning at the feel of Shisui's body trying to suck him back in. Even through the condom, it was wonderful. Just as wonderful as it had been with Tenzo. 

"Oh my god." Shisui mewled, flexing his fingers tightly into Kakashi's skin. When Kakashi pushed back in, he moved a bit faster, pressing in deeply and causing Shisui to curse beneath him. 

Under his stomach, Shisui's erection was already coming back, his hardening length trapped between them as Kakashi finally started to move consistently. The hardest part was keeping himself from spilling over the edge too quickly, fighting with all his willpower to wait and see if maybe he could get Shisui to come again. 

Kakashi wasn't even really sure if that was a realistic thing, but he was definitely going to try. 

Shisui's voice filled the room with all sorts of gibberish and moans, not managing to remain quiet for a second. Kakashi kissed Shisui's neck and chest, leaving a line of light purple marks in the pale skin. He changed his angle a little bit, and Shisui's back arched off the bed, his moans even louder than before. The sound almost drove Kakashi to finish early. He reached down with one arm, grabbing Shisui's erection one more time and giving him a few pumps. That was all it took. Shisui's body clenched around Kakashi tightly, forcing him to orgasm inside the tight cavern. 

Kakashi had sweat dripping down his face, the droplets landing on the pale chest beneath him as he fought to keep himself from collapsing onto his boyfriend. 

"Holy fuck." Shisui cursed under his breath, dropping his arms heavily to the mattress beside him. Kakashi pulled out slowly, pausing when Shisui winced. 

"Are you hurt?" Kakashi asked, panic setting in quickly. The absolute last thing he wanted to do was hurt Shisui. 

"No. I'm fine. Just a bit sensitive." Shisui said with a smile. 

Kakashi sighed with relief, pulling out the rest of the way and dropping to the other side of the mattress. 

"Shisui?" He asked, his eyes closed as he tried to regain feeling in his arms. 

"Hmm?" The other boy responded quietly. Kakashi was fairly certain that he was already falling asleep. 

"I love you." Kakashi spoke softly, feeling around with his hand until he found his boyfriend's. 

Shisui interlocked their fingers automatically. "I love you too, Kakashi." 

~

It was almost 1 PM when Tenzo finally made it back to the house. He kicked off his shoes by the front door, left his bag on the couch, and headed upstairs to see his boyfriends. They didn't spend a lot of time apart, and Tenzo had missed having them around this morning. 

When he opened the door to the bedroom, Kakashi was laying on his back, Icha-Icha open in his hand, while Shisui was draped across his torso. 

Kakashi smiled at him, closing his book while holding one finger up to his lips. Tenzo finally noticed Shisui's soft snoring. 

There was room on the edge of the bed for him, so he climbed in carefully to lay next to Kakashi. 

"Everything go okay?" Tenzo asked quietly. Kakashi nodded, using one hand to gently push some of Shisui's hair out of his face. "He's been asleep for almost two hours now."

Tenzo raised his eyebrows. "So you tired him out, then?" 

Kakashi blushed, but nodded. Shisui shifted a small amount, his snoring stopping and his large black eyes cracking open. 

"Hey, sleepy head." Tenzo whispered fondly, running his fingers through Shisui's wavy black hair. 

"Mmm. Morning." Shisui grumbled smiling and pressing a kiss to Kakashi's bare chest. "How was your trip?" 

"Pretty good. I missed my boyfriends though." Tenzo said happily, leaning over to give Shisui a kiss on the cheek. 

Shisui chuckled. "Well next time we get some alone time, we'll have to spend it all together." After he said it, Shisui frowned. "Do I have to keep this from my dad?" 

Tenzo knew that Shisui and his father had a very open relationship. They talked about everything. So far, Shisui had kept their bedroom activities to himself, but Kakashi and Tenzo could both tell that it was bothering him. Kagami told Shisui  _ everything.  _ If he brought a woman home while Shisui was staying over with Kakashi, he told him. Kakashi and Sakumo were both far too awkward to have that kind of conversation. 

"I don't mind as long as Tenzo doesn't. I know you hate keeping things from him. We're all 18 now. They shouldn't have a problem with it." Kakashi spoke softly, pulling Shisui up by the arms until their lips could connect. 

"Well you  _ know  _ I don't mind." Tenzo answered easily. Sakumo had heard much more embarrassing things about Tenzo in the past. Compared to  _ that _ , it was no big deal. 

Shisui smiled brightly, launching himself over Kakashi and tackling Tenzo off of the bed and onto the floor.

~

Kagami and Sakumo had barely been in the house for 30 seconds when Shisui walked up to them. Kakashi and Tenzo exchanged panicked looks. They at least thought Shisui would wait until he was  _ alone  _ with his father to tell him. 

"Dad… I'm not a virgin anymore." Shisui declared. Kakashi's face was bright red, and Sakumo started choking on his coffee. Kagami patted him on the back, but otherwise didn't react much to the news. 

The room was silent for a minute. Shisui was watching his father, Kakashi was staring at his feet, Sakumo and Kagami were alternating their stares between the three boys, and Tenzo watched everyone. Finally, Kagami and Sakumo shared a look. They wanted to know. Tenzo could tell. The most obvious question to ask would be  _ who was it _ , but they also probably didn't  _ actually  _ want to know. 

Sakumo was blushing brightly when Kagami finally said something. 

"Thank you for telling me, Shisui. Is there anything else I need to know?" Kagami asked. 

Shisui turned to them. Kakashi did nothing, and Tenzo just shrugged. 

Shisui turned back to his father. "Well, I had sex with Kakashi, and he had sex with Tenzo. We haven't really gotten too far into that stuff though." Shisui started, happily telling his father  _ all  _ of their sexual history, much to Sakumo and Kakashi's horror. 

~

Dinner was quiet. No one wanted to say much after Shisui had spilled the beans. After a while, Kagami and Shisui started talking about one of the criminals they had busted at work, so at least it wasn't silent anymore. 

Finally, Sakumo stood, a determined look on his face as he towered over the table. "Look, I want to say something before I lose my nerve again. I don't care what you guys do when we aren't around. You are all adults, and I trust you to be responsible." He started, then turned to Shisui. "But  _ please _ , if you  _ must  _ tell Kagami about it, can you make sure I'm  _ not around _ ? I don't want to hear about my son's sex life." 

"Same for me." Kakashi said quietly. Kagami and Shisui both laughed, then looked to Tenzo. Once again, he simply shrugged, smiling at his family. "I don't really care either way." 

Finally, dinner was back to normal. Sakumo was telling Kakashi all about this drug dealer that he had chased down and tackled in the street, wildly gesturing with his hands and making sound effects. 

It was nice, really, getting to watch both Kakashi and Shisui hang on their fathers' every word as they told their stories. Tenzo listened too, but his real entertainment was in the way that you could tell who their heroes were. They were sitting right here at the kitchen table. Tenzo knew he would miss nights like these, awkwardness and all, when they all moved out and went to college. They wouldn't be far, just living in an apartment on the other end of the city… but they still wouldn't be here, at  _ home. _


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short fluffy ending to wrap everything up in a nice bow.

Tenzo followed Obito up the stairs, listening to the older man huff as they carried the last of the boxes up to their new apartment. 

"How many books do you guys  _ own _ ?  _ Who even reads this much?" _ Obito whined, adjusting the box in his arms again. 

Tenzo chuckled. "Most of those are Shisui's, actually. You  _ know _ Kakashi only reads Icha-Icha." 

They made it up the stairs, turning left into the new apartment, which just happened to be across the hall from Gai and Obito's place. 

_ "Oh, come on!"  _ Obito shouted as they entered the room to see Shisui and Kakashi making out on the couch. He set the box down and crossed his arms. "You mean we've been loading all of these boxes in and you two weren't even  _ unpacking _ ?" 

Tenzo smiled at both of his boyfriends, who were looking up over the back of the couch guiltily. "I'm sure they were working… they just got  _ distracted."  _

"Pffft. Sure." Obito said with a laugh. "I'm going back over to my own room now. There's less  _ distractions  _ in there." 

Shisui's cousin left quickly, closing the door on his way out. Tenzo crossed his arms in a pout. "I can't  _ believe  _ you're breaking in the new couch without me." 

Shisui smiled brightly, and Kakashi blushed. "We can make room for you." Shisui responded quickly, eyeing Tenzo's sweaty form suggestively. 

Tenzo laughed, and made his way over to the couch. 

~

Tenzo sat down at the brand new kitchen table. Sakumo and Kagami had dropped it off yesterday, and tonight would be the start of their weekly family dinners. Sunday nights were now dedicated to hosting dinner for their parents, Grandma Lynn, and Obito. Tenzo was excited at having some sort of family ritual, and equally excited that Obito's grandma was bringing the food for the first gathering. 

Kakashi sat next to him, shooting him a knowing smile. The other boy had always been able to read his mind. "Are you excited?" 

Tenzo nodded, smiling at his boyfriend happily. With everyone coming over all the time, it didn't really feel like they had left home at all. 

At dinner, everyone had plenty to talk about. Kagami and Sakumo told them all about their week arresting criminals, Obito talked about his new job, and the three boys told their parents all about their new neighborhood. 

"Boys, I have a gift for you. A housewarming present." Grandma Lynn said with a smile. 

Tenzo was excited. The elderly woman had always given such great presents. Tenzo's original gift, the painting of the forest, was already hung up in the bedroom, and there were various potted plants spread throughout the apartment that she had given him. 

He was even more excited when the woman asked him to accompany her out to the car to retrieve it. Tenzo happily walked her down the stairs in silence. 

"You know, I'm very proud of how far you've come." The woman spoke suddenly. Tenzo turned to her, watching as she opened her car door to retrieve a large wrapped item. "You've grown into a fine young man, you know. So have Kakashi and Shisui. I see  _ so much love  _ in your eyes, and it makes this old heart of mine happy." 

Tenzo tried to keep his eyes from watering as he swept the older woman into a hug. "Thank you, Grandma Lynn." 

"Alright, alright. Let's get this present upstairs." She replied, wiping her eyes as Tenzo pulled the large gift out. It was very clear that it was a painting, and Tenzo was excited to see it. It was roughly 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide, and he could only imagine what the elderly woman had decided to paint this time. 

Upstairs, Shisui, Kakashi, and Tenzo all sat on the couch to open the gift. Shisui was in the middle, and unwrapped it excitedly. Tenzo's jaw dropped when he saw it. Thick black lines split the painting into thirds, showing three different scenes. The top one had a painting of Kakashi, surrounded by a thunderstorm and bolts of lightning. The bottom right one had Shisui in it, amongst rolling waves. The third and final one, in the bottom left, had Tenzo in it, sitting cross legged on the floor of the forest. All three of them looked really happy, and Tenzo couldn't take his eyes off of it. 

"It's beautiful." Shisui said, his voice full of the same awe that Tenzo felt. 

"Thank you, Grandma Lynn." Tenzo said with a smile, looking over to his boyfriends. 

"You boys just go together so well." The old woman said fondly. "Each of you work together so wonderfully, like the earth, sky, and ocean. I'm glad you like it." 

Tenzo looked over to Kakashi, who hadn't said anything yet. He was surprised to see the other boy with watery eyes. Grandma Lynn chuckled softly, moving over to pull the silver-haired teen into a hug. 

Sakumo took the painting from Shisui carefully, so the young Uchiha and Tenzo could crowd in on the hug as well. 

Obito had already gone back to his own apartment, and Kagami was chuckling behind the couch. It was a nice moment, one that would be forever cemented into Tenzo's memory as he wrapped his arms around both of his boyfriends and the woman that was the closest thing he would ever have to a grandmother. 

After Kagami and Sakumo worked together to hang the painting in the front room, Grandma Lynn took her leave. The parents stayed to watch a movie. Tenzo wasn't all that surprised when both cops voted for "Die Hard". 

If you had asked Tenzo a few years ago, he couldn't have told you what was in his future. Honestly, he  _ still  _ couldn't even now. But the type of uncertainty he faced  _ now  _ was much brighter than the type he faced back then. He had a  _ family _ . One that so very clearly loved him, and he would do anything for them. His entire life had been flipped upside down. And now, sitting here with Shisui's head in his lap, and Kakashi snuggled into his side, while both men that he considered his parents sat on the opposite couch, he could honestly say that it was the best thing that could have ever happened to him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to say thank you to everyone who has stuck with me through this story. I really appreciate all the wonderful comments that you leave! I'm sorry that there isn't more to this ending, but I just felt like there wasn't much more that needed saying. Tenzo is going to have a wonderful life with Shisui and Kakashi, and that's all I really asked for.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think! Comments make my day!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * A [Restricted Work] by [Anannua](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anannua/pseuds/Anannua) Log in to view. 




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